Defiance With Wrenches
by BabblesoftheInsane
Summary: He would find her if it meant killing everything in his path. They should have realized that he was a soldier and that taking away his sole reason to come home safe, his spark and soul, was a very bad decision...
1. Chapter 1

_Boti: Hello! This is a "not apart of any movieverse" pointless Ratchet romance sometime after ROTF (meaning I was bored and just created something) so let's get it on! _

_P.S. I am so a nut, aren't I? Soo...I was thinking...(which is absolutely dangerous) that I should see if anyone wants to make a request for me to write a story about a character they want...or a possible plot or something for a oneshot or story. Something for me to do! Just leave it in a review or pm. Thank you!_

If you haven't read Prime's Princess, then you are probably not going to understand some parts. So you need to read that first...thank you.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Summary: She glared back. Defied him. Threatened him. Even threw wrenches...at HIM! And he loved it. Every minute. That's when he realized that he needed her more than she would ever know.

Chapter One

Shadow sat on Bumblebee (after begging for permission) with a very, VERY pregnant Avella. She was about to pop any day now and Prime refused to go on any missons until his children were born. Shadow felt sorry for Ava because pregnancy was exhausting. And pregnancy with twins was double the pain and exhaustion.

"Has Ratchet told you yet?" Ava looked at Shadow as she blinked at Ava. The question was out of no where and Shadow found herself wondering if this was one of Ava's strange pregnancy moods.

"Told me what?" Shadow asked, obviously clueless. Ava giggled at her friend's reaction. She should have known that the great Ratchet wouldn't admit it.

"About their human mating expedition?"

"Their what?"

Ava laughed at her friend as Shadow stared at the soon to be mom with wide eyes. The only thought running through her mind was _what the hell_ as Ava explained.

"Optimus was telling me about it one day when I got a little to curious for my own good. Ratchet was curious about how humans mated, so Sam told them to watch porn. Unfortunately, Ratchet didn't get it at all and is thinking that perhaps he should try it instead of watching," Ava laughed again, tapping her chin, "But he is to shy to even think about it. Optimus says that the woman would have to dominate him."

Shadow held her sides when Ava finsihed, laughing so hard that tears glittered her lashes. She was having such a hard time breathing that Bee's holoform appeared behind her, patting her back.

"What...does that have...to...do...with me?" Shadow gasped, rubbing her eyes. She was finally able to block the images of Ratchet's holoform sitting in front of a t.v. during a pointless episode of adult entertainment.

"You like him, that's what. Or did you forget the first thing you said to him?" Ava poked her shoulder while one of the little ones kicked Ava. The squeal had Optimus appearing out of nowhere.

"It was a kick, Prime," Shadow called to the paniced leader as she rubbed the sore area on her arm. No, she hadn't forgotten. She had told him that he was cute but her image wasn't all that...attracting. Her closes were baggy, she never wore make up, and her glasses had a habit of making her look nerdy.

"And?" she blushed after a moment. Bee's holoform was now standing in front of her and he grabbed her hand gently. He looked deep into her teal blue eyes.

"You can make him happy. He doesn't believe that any femme will ever care for him. He says he's too grumpy," Bee said, his vocalizer still a bit scratchy. Shadow was still trying to get her sister to figure out why it always short circuited and it was difficult since Clarity was technically not suppose to know about the non-biological extraterrestrials. But...their friend is apart of the Autobots race and therefore mixed in with it too.

"I'll show him to grumpy. I'll throw wrenches at him!" Shadow growled. Bee and Ava both laughed together as the image of the small human chasing the mech entered their minds.

"That will be something to see," the two said breathless in unison. Shadow smirked as she looked at the ground, not trusting herself to keep a straight face.

"So you want me to work my magic?"

Ava rubbed her belly, trying to get the two babes to calm down. They were moving around and Shadow watched in fascination as her stomach moved in strange ways.

"We have a feeling that he likes you so you don't have to work so hard. Even Optimus saw how looks at you when you're not looking at him," Ava winked at Shadow. Shadow felt her brain's gears, figurative gears (darn robots) start to turn, ideas flying through. She knew she had to get him to admit the truth, and she wanted to torture it out of him.

"Ms. Nigh, I need your help."

Everyone looked in the direction of the med bay and saw a blond hair, blue eyed man in a lab coat. He was average build - though every could see the muscle everytime he lifted something or moved a certain way - and wore glasses that were a bit rectangular in shape.

Ava glanced at her friend, hearing the true meaning in her friend's sigh, the same sigh she gave the robotic form of Ratchet hundreds of times. Bee thought it was a sigh of frustration but it wasn't. It was the sigh of liking what you see and Shadow liked what she saw a lot.

"Coming Hatchet," Shadow slid off Bee's hood and followed the now glaring holoform. He didn't much care for his nickname the humans gave him, which in turn had his fellow Autobots calling him that. He hated it more when Shadow used it.

"So what now?" Shadow trudged behind, acting irritated. She loved giving him a hard time. Simply to get those icy blue eyes (or optics) looking at her.

"Jazz is needing a part replaced and my hand is too large to fit in the space it's located in," Ratchet explained. Shadow knew that Jazz was having a hard time adjusting to this. She had helped Ratchet reactivate Jazz, with the help of a newfound shard, and the poor mech nearly offlined again when he saw Ava.

"So?" Shadow cocked an eyebrow as his holoform disappeared and she watched the rescue hummer transform. The parts that shifted and changed always fascinated her as she finally stared up at the real Ratchet. She swore she was insane for falling for a robot. Then again, she wasn't all that sane to begin with.

Ratchet reached down, seeing she was slightly distracted, and picked her up by her shirt. She dangled from his fingers, a death glare on her features that he liked to see.

"Don't manhandle me!" Shadow screeched. She wasn't worried about her shirt stretching, it was already baggy enough. But she _was_ worried about someone walking in and under her form. She didn't wear any leggings today. Laundry day.

"Be quiet. You're going into Jazz and fixing his issue," Ratchet snapped before taking her to Jazz. He gently placed her down and pointed at the place she needed to go into.

"You're doing this to torture me, aren't you?" Shadow tried and failed miserably to fix her now overly stretched shirt. Ratchet looked at her and gave a Cybertronian form of a smile.

"Yes. Now get to work," he said, holding down a tool belt. Shadow mumbled angrily as she dropped the tool belt into Jazz before bending over to look inside. Her rear end wiggled in the air and Jazz was watching Ratchet, who was trying and failing to ignore that image.

"Fucking jerk. Why is he even a freaking medic to begin with? He has no compassion."

"I heard that."

"Then turn off your damn audio receivers and let me mumble in peace!" she growled as she masked her embarrassment. She pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose, smearing lubricant all over her cheek. She was able to repair the damage, which was a mere wire that had been severed slightly, and as she stood back up, her skirt caught on a jagged edge of Jazz's armor.

All optics watched the little human curse like a sailor as she stared at her skirt. It use to be knee length but now it had torn to the top of her thigh. Shadow was cursing because she wouldn't be able to bend over without everyone seeing underneath.

"Hatchet, you owe me a new skirt!" Shadow looked at him, anger burning in her eyes. Then a sly smile took over her features as Ratchet looked at the skirt. His a/c was running wildly as he continued to stare at her. Perhaps she could change her fashion for awhile.

"Well, come get me," she held out her arms like a toddler, waiting for the medic to move. He didn't as he continued to stare at her legs. She knew he would be blushing if he wasn't in this form.

"No, you pervert. Not like that," Shadow grumbled before walking to the edge of Jazz. She went to jump off the berth and when her feet left the metal, Ratchet had caught her. He quickly placed her on the floor before pointing at her. It looked like he was punishing a child.

"Don't ever do that again!" he reprimanded her. Again, Shadow gave him a sly smile before clasping her hands behind her back.

"Are you trying to be my boyfriend?"

"Yes - wait - no. No, I'm not," Ratchet's a/c began to run harder and faster as Jazz chuckled at the scene. Shadow touched the finger still pointing at her, another smile on her face.

"Your a/c says different," she teased. They had been right and she was wondering what kind of looks Ratchet gives her when she wasn't drooling over him.

"I have a malfunction in the controls. It's been doing that for awhile," Ratchet lied. Shadow saw straight through it too. Ratchet was such a terrible liar and she proved it when she walked away.

"Liar!" she said loud enough for him to hear. She heard a loud clang, like something being dropped and she couldn't help the giggles. The next few days were going to be fun.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Uh oh! She's gonna get him! Tee hee hee! Btw, I hope you kinda got the idea as to why Ratchet wanted her to fix Jazz. He's such a pervert...lol!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Boti: Here's Chapter Two! Let's see how bad she's going to drive him nuts! Weeee!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own jack _. You know what fits in the blank. At least, I hope you do._

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Two

She was surprisingly beautiful. The teal blue eyes staring back shocked at how good she looked. The short skin tight black skirt made her butt look round and huge. The tight red button up made her chest look larger and she purposely left the top four buttons undone And for the first time in her life, she was wearing make-up and contacts.

Shadow couldn't believe her reflection. Her sister, Clarity, had helped her with everything, even her hair. Which was clipped up off her shoulders and curled. Shadow had never dressed to impress but she wanted to impress Ratchet. And tease the hell out of him.

"So when did my baby sister get caught by cupid?" Clarity leaned against Shadow's bedroom doorframe. She was enjoying the fact that her sis liked someone, specifically an alien medic.

"Awhile, but," Shadow turned around, surprised she was able to walk in the candy red heels, "doesn't it bother you that he's a robot?"

"Not really, no. I figured you would fall for a strange guy. And a robot just seems to fit. Including the doc bit," Clarity answered with a shrug. Shadow sighed as she looked back at the mirror. She doubted the guard at the gate for the base would let her pass. She definitely didn't look the same.

"Shadow."

"What?" she looked at Clarity as she quickly took a picture of Shadow with her phone.

"I'll send this to Ava. She can let the guard know what you look like now. And be sure to email me with the juicy stuff since you're heading to Diego Garcia. Also, I have packed some of your stuff with tempting clothes," Clarity explained as she hit a few buttons on her phone. Clarity flipped it shut while Shadow just stared at her.

"Well, get going before I lock you in.'

Shadwo shook her head as she walked out of the room with her - god forbid she ever carries on again - purse. She made sure to check it for her badge and sighed. She prayed the guard would let her in.

~wwwwwwwwww~

Her little dinky car sat outside the gates, the sun glittering off the peeling paint. The guard kept looking at her badge before looking at her, comparing it. He recognized the car, but not the person. Prime must have kept Ava from telling the guard.

"I'll make a call," the guard picked up the phone, dialing a number. Shadow's head hit her head rest, not in the mood to deal with this...crap as she would say.

"Tell me what she looks like."

Shadow sighed as she waited, the guard staring at her for a minute. He smiled after a moment before giving her a wink and pressing the switch for the gate. Shadow grimaced, realizing why she never dressed the way she did. But if it got Ratchet's attention, then so be it.

Shadow drove toward the large hanger and parking next to the other vehicles that would be left behind. She hated flying but it was necessary to reach the isolated island. Still, it scared the crap out of her.

"Nice ass Shadow."

Her shoulders drooped a little as she looked over them, spotting Major Lennox and Epps staring at her rear end with tilted heads. She sighed as she opened her trunk, glad her sister only packed a single suitcase and not a million bags like Maggie Madsen did.

"Shut up!" Shadow yelled when someone complimented her chest before slamming her trunk shut. Her heels clicked on the cement of the hanger and she beelined straight toward Optimus Prime. Ratchet was speaking with him, waiting for transport which would be in a few moments.

"Optimus, can I ask you a favor?" she looked up at the bot. Ratchet glanced down at the little human before having to do a double take. His optics widen - if possible - as they fluttered in the form of several blinks. She heard his vents switch on and had to hold in the laugh that threatened to bubble out.

"What can I do for you Shadow?"

"Can I travel on your fellow Autobots plane? Several of the soldiers are making me extremely uncomfortable," she told him honestly. She spotted Ava on Prime's shoulder, whispering something to him. Prime chuckled and nodded at whatever Ava told him before giving his answer.

"Alright. Travel with Ratchet since you are afraid of flying."

"Prime!" Ratchet finally found his voice as he shook his head, saying no. Shadow realized that she would have to take drastic measures to travel with Ratchet. So, she thought of something sad and stared up at the medic with a very teary expression.

"So you really do hate me," she sniffled. She dropped her bag and covered her face, pretending to cry. Ava quickly whispered to Prime to keep him from panicing but poor Ratchet didn't realize it was a trick.

"Shadow, I don't hate you...you see...I actually...I...Oh alright. You can travel with me. Just quit leaking," Ratchet had a Prime moment as he surrounded his hands around her. Shadow pretend to wipe tears away as she smiled up at him.

"Thank you!" she giggled when he sighed. Ratchet focused on her for a moment, realizing his position gave him a perfect view down her shirt. He couldn't help but gaze at the opening, staring at the soft mounds that beckoned to him.

"Ratchet, are you staring at my chest?"

"I thought I saw something that needed medical attention. I was wrong," Ratchet had his answer already processed as he tore his gaze away. But it didn't satisfy the others around, especially the ones who knew the truth about his feelings.

"Whatever," Shadow picked up her bag before walking past him to the plane, whispering quietly, "Liar."

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Tee hee hee...I'm laughing at ideas for next chapter...tee hee heeeeeee!_

_P.S. I likey the reviews. They help keep me writing. Without them, I wouldn't bother...So pleasey the reviewy buttony!_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Wish I did but I don't so I'm stuck working...Darn...

_Boti: Tee hee...this is going to be funny...to me anyways!_

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Three

Shadow found herself gripping Ratchet's seats, hanging on for dear life as the plane took off. The landing and taking off bits were always unsettling. But once the initial was over, she could just pretend they were still on the ground and not in the sky.

"Why do you fear flying?" Ratchet found himself scanning her several times, seeing her blood pressure return to normal followed by her heart rate and breathing and...

"Plane crashes," Shadow muttered, not wanting to bring up the reason behind that. Ratchet could tell she didn't want to discuss it and therefore left that part of her reasoning alone.

"Well the probability of being in a plane crash is 0.089 per 100,000 flight hours. And the odds of being in one twice is very unlikely," Ratchet watched her flinch, not realizing that the odds of not being in one twice was because most didn't survive the first.

"Sorry if I insulted you."

"It's okay, but let's change the topic," Shadow sighed as she slid her bottom half forward, trying to get comfortable in the seats. She felt a sudden warmth against her legs and a slight vibration that lasted for only a second.

"Um, Shadow?"

"Yes?"

"It seems your skirt has made its way to your waist," Ratchet said casually, hiding the interest at what the material kept hidden. Shadow looked down and saw that he was indeed right before letting off a squeal and pulling it down.

"Damn it you pervert!" she hissed at the bot, trying to give him a hard time. If he had been in robot or holoform mode, then he would be glaring at her. But for some reason, the idea wasn't all that displeasing to either person.

"I did not move the fabric," Ratchet snapped. She saw a cackle to her right and sighed when Ratchet's holoform appear beside her. He was giving her a hard glare as she adjust the skirt more comfortably.

"What's your problem?" she snapped when he wouldn't stop glaring at her. She felt like jumping him and pinning him down to give a tickle torture or something close.

"Nothing is wrong with me. It seems something is wrong with you," Ratchet countered. Shadow pursed her lips, her own glare on her face before digging through her purse.

_I know I had a...ah, there you are my shiny friend,_ Shadow didn't give anything away as Ratchet's holoform stared forward, ignoring her. Without even thinking, she pulled her weapon out of the bag and smacked him upside the head.

"You deserved that, jerk wad!" she shrieked, putting the wrench back in her purse. Ratchet didn't move for several seconds, trying to decide if she really did do what he thought she did.

"You hit me," was all he said as she leaned over, pulling off the heels. She shrugged in response, not really caring what he thought about her outburst, but he did deserve it...kind of anyways.

"Shadow Nigh, why did you hit me?"

She felt like bursting out laughing when he addressed her by her full name. It didn't fit him well and instead of answering, she started waving her fingers over his dashboard. The holoform's eyes widened before a smile cracked across his face.

"STOP!" Ratchet started to laugh, his holoform squirming in the seat next to her. She couldn't resist tickling the medic. Just to get him to lighten up a bit.

"Please, I'm begging. Stop!"

She felt his alt mode start shaking and rocking but she maintained her attack. Shadow glanced out the window, seeing curious stares of the few soldiers on the plane. Suddenly, Ratchet jerked to the side, forcing her to stop and hit the glass.

"You are such a pain!" Ratchet choked out through his radios. She saw that his holoform had disappeared and assumed he was embarrassed by his outburst.

"But you love me anyways!" she sang. Silence was her answer and she smiled. Slowly, however, her mouth turned the other direction and she realized that her fun may be over. Unless she played stupid to the situation. Yes...that may work.

"Do you know?"

"About your curiousity about sex? Yes. In fact, I'm wondering if you have a collection of porn in your office," Shadow just stared blankly at the dashboard.

"I do not have porn!"

"What, you'd rather see a perky blonde in real life, stripping her clothes off?"

"I'd rather see you. Oh hell," Ratchet's voice quickly shut off as Shadow stared wide eyed at the radio. He had just admitted to wanting to see her naked. And for some reason, she felt like pointing and laughing at the confession. She couldn't believe how easy it was to bait him.

"You want to see me naked? Oh my gosh, Ratch. I'm telling!"

"NO!"

"Oh, I wonder what Ava may say about that? Or Prime or Ironhide?" Shadow tapped her chin as Ratchet started screaming through the speakers at her.

"Don't tell Ironhide! He can't keep a secret to save his function cycle!"

A slow torturous smile crossed Shadow's face as she had an ah ha moment. The light bulb above her head (again figurative bulb...robots) light up as she began planning. And it did not bode well for Ratchet.

"Oh dear Primus, I've given you a plan."

"Yes, Ratch, you did. That you did."

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Absolutely pointless, than again, this whole story is pointless. And I think it's funny. If you didn't understand why she hit him, then I'll just tell you. For the torture of fixing Jazz. That's my excuse, what's yours._

_By the way, the more reviews I get on my current stories, the faster I will update. It's getting a little depressing since I'm not getting a lot of reviews. And because of it, I tend to start new ones because I keep thinking the current ones suck. So PLEASE REVIEW!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Boti: I am so happy! I got reviews! And for you bee-roxs98, I am going to try and make them a bit longer. I got some inspiration for this chapter from a song I found called _The Sailor Song by Toy-Box. _It's a funny song...Lol!_

_Also, Zoey The Wolf, thanks for the skittles and your story, _Who WhatWhere When and Why_ is freaking awesome. I want you to have 100 million bags of skittles, rainbows, gummy bears, jelly beans, and roses! I would also say money, but I don't have that much. Sorry. And sorry for it being a long while. It's been raining like no tomorrow and such. _

**Disclaimer: **Yada yada yada blah blah blah blah I don't own!

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Four

"Shadow!"

A sly grin spread across her face as she sat back in her chair with her coffee. She waited for the medic to come barreling out of his med bay, screaming bloody murder at her for her little prank. Mudflap and Skids had helped her execute it with precision. And now, she awaited the results.

"Oh my gosh!" Shadow had to put her cup down as Ratchet came stomping into the hanger where she currently was. It was raining outside and she always calmed considerably if she watched the rain fall.

Ratchet looked down as the red faced human. She had a huge grin on her face but she hid it behind her hand. Still, he found himself extremely angry at waking to a sailor paint job. His normal coloring was covered by a white "suit" with a blue bow painted on the front.

"Are you slagging serious? I'd expect this to be pulled off by the twins, not you!"

"The...twins...did...help me," Shadow gasped, doubling over in laughter. Ratchet glared down at the little human before noticing that she wasn't the only one in the hanger. Lennox and Epps were hiding behind their folders. Optimus, which was unusual, was covering his face, hiding his own laughter.

The medic sent a burst of air through his vents, mimicking a sigh. He turned to leave when a song began to play through the speakers around the base and he froze. His optics immediately darted to the one who more than likely caused it and saw her on the floor, rolling around. It only took him a few seconds to find what the song was before he stomped away, embarrassed...and pissed.

"She had to play a song called the Sailor Song," Ratchet mumbled as the whole hanger burst out in laughter. Shadow got to her feet, holding her sides. She felt ready to explode from the pain in her sides. Still, it was worth seeing him so angered.

She calmed after a moment and took a deep breath. She knew she was being cruel. When they first arrived on the island, she immediately ran to Ironhide. She remembered it well.

~FLASHBACK~

_ "Ironhide! Ironhide! Ironhide!" her arms flailed at her sides as she tried to run in the heels she wore. Ironhide looked at her, glad he escaped the confines of the plane, but a little angered that this human wanted to ruin his relief._

_ "What is it?" he ignored her, checking one of his cannons. He pondered if he needed to get a matinence check from Ratchet. He didn't need to put off matience because he didn't want to risk a malfunction during a battle._

_ "Ratchet said he wanted to see me strip naked!"_

_ It was like someone shot him in the back as his optics snapped down at the girl who was still talking rapidly. Ironhide then looked at the doors to the hanger, seeing the medic driving as fast as he could to the Autobot elevator. Ironhide felt a little curious about how he planned on having such a relationship._

_ "Optimus? I have a question."_

~END FLASHBACK~

And that one question turned into a hundred, followed by the whole base knowing. Sam had gone to ask Ratchet the same questions, his own curiousity a little bit different that Ironhide's. And all that she knew was that it had to do with Bumblebee, since Mikaela had found out that Sam had a thing for Bee. She wasn't disgusted by it. No far from it. She was actually supporting him and broke it off, saying that he needed to get with Bee.

"I don't want to know how that works," Shadow giggled. She still had a hard time wrapping her brain around the idea of sleeping with Ratchet herself. She didn't need to figure out how a man to man relationship worked.

"You're so mean to him," Shadow giggled at her pregnant friend. Ava looked like hell but she was able to smile. Shadow knew Ava was probably going to go into labor in the next day or two.

"I know, but," Shadow smiled, "he needs to have some hell. He seems a little bored."

"Not anymore," Ava giggled before she groaned, tapping the side of her stomach. One of the little ones was pushing her stomach to a weird shape and it looked painful.

"Stop it Samuel or Serenity!" Ava hissed at her tummy. In response, one kicked her causing their mother to yelp. Optimus was watching the whole thing with a worried expression.

"They are not going to listen Ava," Shadow sat up straight in her chair before rubbing Ava's belly. Being a doctor, Shadow knew how to ease Ava's pain. And sure enough, the little ones had calmed down considerably.

Ava sighed after a moment as she took the opportunity to breath. It was difficult to breath with two kids wanting to play soccer with her lungs or kidney. She couldn't wait until the labor was over and she got to hold them.

"So when are you going to make a move? You've been driving him nuts with your clothes. Especially today," Ava pointed at Shadow's skinny jeans, then her (surprisingly favorite) candy red heels, then her long sleeve button down blouse. Shadow simply shrugged as if her dress was no big deal.

"Don't know. Maybe after one last prank, which I am trying to get the twins to help with. But they are a little heisitant with giving me information on sensitive wires," Shadow picked up her now cold coffee and took a large gulp. She shuddered, wishing she had a microwave or something.

"I'll help with that," Ava leaned in, whispering in Shadow's ear about wires Ava knew. Shadow's eyes widen in surprise at the information and her cheeks flared when Ava said something about an interface cable. Shadow was never a shy or easily embarrassed person, but hearing that was a bit TMI.

~WWWWWWWWWW~

"So ya wantin us to beat each other...uh-"

"Senseless. Or something to sneak me into the med bay unnoticed," Shadow explained. The twins looked at each other for a moment before staring back at her. They liked pulling pranks on others and sometimes those pranks hurt, but they didn't like the idea of inflicting pain on purpose.

"She nuts."

"Yeah."

"I'll be hitting Ratchet with a wrench. It's a once in a lifetime chance to see him get a taste of his own medicine."

"His wrench ain't medicine. It evil," Mudflap watched Shadow pinch the bridge of her nose.

"It's an Earth phrase. Look it up."

"Nah, we don't read," Skids flopped his hand in front of him, reminding Shadow of a snooty skateboarding teen. But she didn't have time to contemplate these things. She needed to hurry before Ratchet found out what she planned.

"Skids, I heard Mudflap saying that you looked like someone puked on you," Shadow lied. And in a few seconds, the twins were fighting each other. The corner of her lips were twitching up into a smile. Apparently, her lie was actually a fact. Mudflap had said that a few days ago.

"Ya momma's ugly!"

"She's your momma to, genius!"

Shadow leaned against the wall as the two beat each other senseless...again. And when she saw that they were finished, though frustrated at the other, she got them to sneak her into the med bay. She just prayed that Ratchet didn't squash her.

~XXXXXXXXX~

"What did you two do this time?"

Shadow listened to Ratchet complain as he dragged Mudflap to the berth. Skids had pulled up to the berth and let her jump out to hide behind it as he transformed. She sighed with relief when Ratchet didn't detect her presence.

"Come on, man. Don't be hatin'. We just got in a little tumble," Skids saw Ratchet snort - well at least Shadow thought it was a snort.

"Tumble my arse," Ratchet sighed before continuing his work. Shadow jumped in surprise when she felt something hit her foot. She covered her mouth, swallowing her surprise as she looked at the tool belt that hit her. Her ears stayed focused on the conversation at hand as she picked out her favorite tool.

"So ya make a move on Shadow? I mean, she been one nice piece of eye candy."

"Dude, watch it. If ya say shit like that, then he'll kick yo ass!"

"It da truth."

"Skids, if you don't stop talking about Shadow in such a way, then I'll make you like Bumblebee."

"What? Ya don't like what ya seein?"

"No, I do Skids. But she's not your eye candy."

"She yours, ight?"

"I'm going to keep my word on making you like Bumblebee," Ratchet's calm voice seemed to end all conversations as Shadow peeked around the corner. Her eyes remained glued on the newly shined greenish yellow rescue Autobot, waiting for her opportunity. Which didn't take to long.

As soon as Ratchet turned his back to her, she tip toed her way toward him. She stood by his leg, spotting the wire that Ava had told her about and brought up her weapon. She heisitated for a moment, glancing at the twins. They were encouraging her silently, excitement in their optics. So, she took a deep breath...

"Shadow, what ar-"

...and swung with all her might, hitting her intended target with the wrench. Ratchet's leg buckled as he fell to a kneeling position, a death glare hooked on Shadow. Several seconds past in silence until Ratchet started to move, which got the others moving.

"Oh shit!" Shadow squealed, bolting toward the med bay doors. She heard the stomps behind her as she ran as fast as she could, thanking god above that she traded her heels for flats.

"Get back here!" she heard an angry Ratchet proclaim. He chased her out into the hanger and she immediately jumped off her elevator, hiding behind Lennox. Upon seeing who the angry bot was, Lennox quickly ran off.

"I want nothing to do with it!"

"Chicken shit!" Shadow called after him. She froze when a large shadow (ironic) engulfed her tiny form and she slowly looked up to see two angry optics staring at her. Shadow quickly bolted for the hanger doors, heading for the cleared runway outside. Ratchet was hot on her heels, not realizing that she was taking great pleasure in being chased.

"Shadow Nigh, get back here!"

"No!" she continued to run, dodging his fingers until she was finally lifted into the air by her shirt. She dangled in the air as Ratchet brought her face level, giving her a sneer.

"This is my sister's shirt! Don't stretch it!"

Ratchet complied by putting her in his palm and returning to the med bay. Shadow just sat there, acting like a defeated child until he placed her on the berth. The twins had fled at their first opportunity and all Shadow could think was chicken shits. Her thoughts quickly disappeared as Ratchet towered over her, frustration bellowing off of him.

"What is wrong with you?" Ratchet screamed, probably making the others in the hanger cringe in fear. But Shadow didn't cringe. She wanted to continue being difficult, therefore answered with a, "I don't know."

Ratchet threw his fist down beside her, leaving a dent in the metal. She heard something snap in his hand and she narrowed her eyes in a glare of her own.

"What the hell is _your_ problem?" she growled.

"You are my problem! You've been dressing provocatively for god knows why, you hit me with wrenches, and defy me every time. I want to know why you enjoy causing me pain and frustration!" he yelled. Shadow sighed, adjusting her shirt. She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment before looking at him, her expression soft and serious.

"You don't need everyone cowering in fear of you. It's good to have at least one person to stand up to you. Besides," she sighed again before gently placing a hand on the medic's fist. He immediately relaxed his hand as she continued, "I really adore you."

"What?" Ratchet's optics flickered in a form of a blink. He went through the conversation again, making sure he heard right.

"Oh dear lord. I - stay with me - like - got it so far? - you."

Ratchet glared down at the girl, hiding his relief and joy at her confession. He felt a little disappointed in himself for not telling her first, but at least he could without fearing rejection.

"I heard you the first time."

"Uh huh. Yeah," Shadow watched him straighten and relax his joints, ignoring his fist for the moment. He seemed happy as he looked at her gently, causing her legs to turn to jelly.

"I like you too," he allowed her to crawl onto his good hand, running his thumb along her back.

"Getting sexual, are we? You move fast," she teased him though she was arching into the touch. Ratchet quickly stopped as his a/c kicked on. Shadow laughed at his embarrassment.

"N-n-n-no!" he stuttered. Shadow laughed harder at the strange circumstance. The great emotionless Ratchet stuttering was impossible. She couldn't believe her ears.

"It's not funny!"

"Sorry," she said. Ratchet placed her on the ground as he transformed, his human holoform embracing her in a hug.

"Don't be. It's just a little hard for me to jump into human things," he placed his chin on top of her head as she relaxed in his arms. She cuddled closer to him as she inhaled his scent. It was strange. He seemed so real but this wasn't real. Even so, she liked both forms.

"Well, isn't that cute."

Shadow looked at the doors to see Jazz and Bumblebee snickering. Sam was on Bee's shoulder, giggling like a school girl at the scene. Almost instantly, an angry Ratchet was chasing the three down the hall, swinging his wrench. She collasped on the floor in laughter. But no matter what, she was kind of glad that things turned out they way they did.

And perhaps she could get him to enjoy certain human activities...

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Yeah, pregnancy really does suck as the last few weeks. I know because I've been there. But it is so worth it in the end. Anyways, hope you all liked. And I hope it was longer for all of you that wanted it longer. See you next time!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Boti: Okay, sorry for not updating in like FOREVER! And also, PPB (Prime's Princess: Beginnings) is being removed, simply because it sucks! And my character is very Mary SUE! So, it is under construction. I already knew it sucked but someone decided to insult me by calling me an unoriginal author but I don't care what they say because it was an anonymous review. If you review anonymously, then your opinion doesn't matter to me because you're just a coward. So if you want to insult me, do so directly. But then again, NO FLAMES ARE ALLOWED OR PERMITTED! It's for fun. Nothing else. So don't get butt hurt by a freaking story. You don't like, then just leave and don't bother pressing the pretty little button. I don't._

_Anyways, sorry for the ranting. On with the show!_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own so don't even try to sue me. The economy freaking sucks!

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Five

Ratchet felt like he was going to offline! For some reason, the base ordered a rock climbing wall and Shadow wanted to try it out. But that wasn't what bothered his human holoform. It was the fact that she decided to wear short shorts and a nearly transparent tank top. She said the top was fine since she wore a bathing suit bikini top underneath but he didn't like the idea of others looking at her.

"Shadow, be careful!" Ratchet pretended he was worried about her, but he was only trying to hide the fact that he wanted to punch one of the soldiers staring at her rear. That was the one thing he hated about humans. No respect for another's mate.

"Oh hush, Ratch," Shadow rang the bell at the top and leaned back, waiting to be brought back down. He quickly closed his eyes, not wanting to watch the man in charge take off her harness.

Shadow knew Ratchet was hating this. It was obvious when he shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. It was strange seeing him so jealous but she was warned by Prime the other day that Ratchet was a jealous mech. Which she didn't mind. She was a jealous person.

"You alright?" she stepped out of her harness and walked away, not realizing that the one who helped her was staring at her ass. But it dawned on her that someone was openly drooling over her when Ratchet opened his eyes, only to glare.

"Absolutely," Ratchet, in a very human way, wrapped an arm acrossed her waist and walked away with her. He quickly sent a glare at the one who was still staring and the soldier looked away, a shiver going down his spine.

"Aww, you're jealous!" Shadow teased. Ratchet grumbled but when she grabbed his hand, running her thumb along the inside of his wrist, his anger quickly dissipated. She was planning something but he couldn't bring himself to focus.

"Someone likes something," Shadow said teasingly. Ratchet opened his mouth to snap at her, only to shut it with a sigh. She was right...again.

"You're distracting."

"I'm suppose to be, Hatchet."

"Don't call me Hatchet!" Ratchet glared down at the girl but she simply giggled. He didn't like being unable to intimidate his...girlfriend. Yeah, he was pretty sure that she was a girlfriend. Though it did confuse him with the different steps of mates.

"Shadow."

"Yes?"

"Why do humans go through so many different phrases for a mate?" Ratchet had lead them to a recreation hanger, for the humans of course. It was more of Shadow's idea, complaining that non military personel weren't use to not having some sort of break room. And with Lennox's team constantly in danger every second of the day, it wasn't a bad idea.

"Well," Shadow decided to walk ahead of him, finding an empty table to watch the different pool games going on. Ratchet followed her, sitting in the chair beside her as her eyes focused on one of the games, "using the word mate makes several males feel primitive."

"But you are," Ratchet pointed out. It was Shadow's turn to glare at him, snorting unladylike at his obvious fact.

"To you maybe. Anyways," Shadow cut off his next comment, "it also makes females feel like slaves. Especially the _mate for life_ phrase. We may be animals to you, but we believe we are past that phase in life."

"That doesn't explain-"

"The different terms, I know," Shadow sighed as she watched a soldier throw a fit over losing. "Girlfriend or boyfriend is a term to describe a male/female person in a relationship. Fiance is a term used to describe a person who is to be married. And you should know what husband or wife is. Why can't you look it up online?"

"Didn't feel like it," Ratchet snickered at Shadow's red face. She hated it when he said that. Which is why Ratchet made a habit of getting revenge for her pranks.

"Which reminds me, did you like the cold shower this morning?"

Shadow felt ready to knock his holoform out cold. She had forgotten the prank Ratchet pulled on her this morning. He had built a clever little device that was hooked up to her room. How she never noticed the bucket of water until it was to late, she had no clue, but she had found it tipped over after the deed was done.

"I'm taking my time," she said, earning an evil grin from the medic. She didn't like that grin. She knew he was going to try and trump her every step of the way. But it made things interesting and it gave her a challenge.

Without warning, Shadow felt a warning sign hit her. She wasn't sure what it was but something was wrong and Ratchet was immediately concerned. But her mind was filled with Ava and it didn't help when Ratchet quickly grabbed her arm, bringing her to her feet.

"We gotta move. Avella's in labor."

Shadow stared at Ratchet for a brief moment before her eyes widened and she fell to her knees in agony. Her gut was clenching in pain and she could only think of one possible explaination. She was feeling everything Ava was feeling. And Shadow could only think one thing.

"Oh shit!"

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Yeah, yeah, short. SO sue me! Writer's block is driving me nuts. So anyways, pl__ease review before I stop writing. Nah, I kid! Or am I..._


	6. Chapter 6

_Boti: Okay, I think I have an idea of how this story is going to go. I'm so losing my mind! I mean I had ideas, but I suddenly changed parts of it so it changed from the original story. Oh well, maybe I'll get it back on track soon. Sorry for you all who like it but are disappointed in short chapters. I feel like an idiot._

_Anyways, I'll slave over this chapter and make it really freaking long. And try hard to not revert it to Mary Sueness. _

**Golden Rule: **No flames. For fun, nothing else. And any review consisting of unoriginal, pathetic, or anything else insulting will be mocked. Also, if something is getting to be Mary Sue, then please give a nice reminder. NOT a freaking flame.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Transformers. Belong to Hasbro. Darn...

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Six

She took a deep breath, finally able to breath after being dragged through the whole birthing process. But she was still unable to shake the sudden pain in her abdomen, or the fact that she felt everything Ava felt. Still, she couldn't tell Ratchet. It was bad enough he scanned her several times a day.

"What?" she screamed toward the door. It slowly opened, the familiar blonde hair and blue eyes peeking around the corner. She had to stifle a snooty remark about him acting like Bee when Ratch finally stepped into her room. He was eyeing her suspiciously before looking around the room.

"I came to check on you. You fled after the birthing was done," Ratchet seemed to notice something strange about Shadow. Her eyes were pale, different from the normal bright teal blue color when she was happy. Even her skin looked transparent.

"Shadow?"

"I'm fine, Ratch. Don't worry about me," she snapped, burying her face into her pillow. He didn't buy it. She was hiding something but seeing as to how stubborn she was, he wouldn't be able to penetrate her tough exterior...yet.

"Go away. I'm tired."

Ratchet reluctantly left, puzzled by her sour attitude. It wasn't like her to act so brutal toward anyone. Grant it Ironhide didn't really like her and Sideswipe was a little irritated with her at times. Even then, she was good to all who was around her. Something definitely was off.

~dream~

_ "Keep running. Don't stop! Why aren't my legs moving?" Shadow screamed as she dragged herself along the ground. She wasn't injured. But for some reason, her legs refused to move. _

_ The ground shook suddenly, a shadow covering her form on the ground. She turned, looking up at the blurred vision. But the red optics of the enemy was prominent against the darkness._

_ "No! Get away from me!" _

_ The dark laughter forced her to drag herself faster along the ground, the unknown taking great pleasure in seeing her struggling to flee. Tears fell down her face at the reality of it all, unaware of the body laying near her. _

_ "Shadow!"_

_ She looked at the person who called her and saw blue optics. Familiar blue optics and she screamed out to him. Her arms reached for him, so far from him and knowing that she'll never reach him. _

_ Another shadow joined the first, only near Ratchet. The unknown jerked him, forcing her mechfriend to roll over. It looked like they were struggling as she felt a claw run down her back, ripping the back of her shirt in half._

_ "You're perfect. You will breed me a new army. An army that can blend into the human world. Possibly become one of your leaders and you're pathetic species will never know," the voice wrapped her in darkness as she watched in horror the other pull out a wickedly curved blade. Everything inside of her denied the sight as the blade came down, ripping through the armor. A blue glow illuminated brightly before extinguishing, Ratchet's yell still echoing in her ears._

_ "Ratchet!"_

~end dream~

"Shadow!"

Her eyes flickered open, tears falling down her face. She began to struggle against the arms holding her, nails digging into flesh as she tried to claw away. Her legs kicked the bed, her arms trying to punch her assailant with no success.

"Let me go! I will not breed with you!"

"SHADOW!"

The voice made her stop, her eyes finally settling on the blonde holding her. He was touching her face, pulling her hair out of her face. She saw the concern in the blue eyes watching her and couldn't help her panic as she sat up. Her hands traveled over his chest before looking at him, making sure it wasn't a dream.

"Ratch?"

His nod brought out a sudden relief and sadness as she hugged him. Shadow sobbed against him, her arms tightening around his body. She felt like she was losing her mind as the image and scream still haunted her. Her mind frantically tried to process that it was just a dream, failing miserably.

"Shhh. You're safe. You are alright," Ratchet tried to calm her down. Someone had heard her screams and he didn't heisitate to come to her. When he opened the door, he had found her struggling in her sleep, screaming his name in agony.

Shadow looked up at him after several minutes of silence, her tears finally halting. She NEVER cried over something so silly as a dream but it seemed far to real to be a mere hallucination.

"What happened, Shadow? What did you dream?" Ratchet watched her eyes widen in panic, her hands fisting in his holographic shirt. He thought she was going to fall into hysterics but she calmed herself, her medical background finally kicking in.

"You were murdered," her whisper would have be unheard by any man but he heard it. And it was gut wrenching.

"My human form cannot be-"

"A Decepticon destroyed your spark. In your robot form. And I watched," she stared at the sheets, unable to look him in the eye. This was a side no one had ever seen of her. She was always so care free and strong but this...Ratchet couldn't take how she looked now. But he needed to know why she had such a dream.

"What of you?"

"I think it was Megatron. I don't know but the Decepticons were really blurry. Only their optics were noticeable. But someone said I would breed with them and produce a new army of human/Decepticon creatures. And that one will become the leader of the country," Shadow shook her head, unable to process those words. She couldn't have their kids. Only Ava and the proof was the two babes that were born earlier.

"Shadow, I'm alive," Ratchet saw her look at him, the dead color of her eyes reflecting everything she felt. But her dream was something he couldn't ignore. If there was a possibility...

"Come on. I need to run some tests on you," Ratchet stood, dragging her with him. She was almost like a zombie, obeying his commands as he walked with her down the halls. He just hoped his theory remained just that. A theory.

~WWWWWWWWWW~

How she was able to get her mask back up is still unknown to him but she looked the same. Though her eyes still remained lifeless, the color in her skin and her happy go lucky attitude returned. She spoke with Ava, cooing the two small bundles of babies, who were growing at an astronomical pace. For example, they were only a few hours old and already holding their heads up successfully.

"That is so lucky. You don't have to suffer the newborn stage for long. Ratch, when do they stop growing so quickly?"

"When they reach their first birthday. They should be about 16 in human body standards."

"Wow, that's so weird and cool!" Shadow smiled, the joy still not reaching her eyes. Ratchet was still running the anaylisis of Shadow's blood, waiting to compare it to Ava's. If he was right, then her dream did have a significant meaning and Prime would need to know.

Shadow picked up the little boy, watching as he laughed at her. She smiled down at the boy, his eyes glittering before grabbing a loose strand of hair. She was so distracted by the little boy staring at the color difference between her skin and hair that she didn't realize Ratchet was shaking in shock and fear.

"Ratchet, what's wrong?" Ava's voice brought Shadow to reality as he looked at her, paniced. Her own gut knotted severely as Ratchet spoke, his tone grave.

"Shadow, call Jazell, Clarity, and anyone else who spent massive amounts of time with Ava."

"Why?" Shadow returned the boy to his mother as she stood, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Her hands shook in fear, her body refusing to believe what she heard next.

"You're compatible with Transformers."

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Well, that's so weird. Didn't expect that myself. Anyways, hope you liked. and it was so much longer. And I found a favorite catchphrase that I heard on Indianna Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. LOL_

_"No parting remarks, Dr. Jones?" (Spalko)_

_"I like Ike." (Jones)_

_LOL it makes me laugh. Ahahahahaha!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Boti: Okay, I got this one longer, hopefully, and I am hoping to get the plot moving. I think I got stuck because I am running out of pranks so here is my request. Send me some prank ideas and how to execute them and you may see your idea in a chapter. Or revenge and such. Let me know!_

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter 7

The stars glittered in the night sky as she sat on top of the hanger. She had found a way to get up the sides but that didn't matter. Not with the situation her friends and herself had been put into. In fact, Clarity was screaming her bloody mind out right now and Jazell was throwing a fit about missing her dance rehearsals. But it was necessary.

"Shadow?"

She looked over at the mech who called her name and found herself frowning. At first, when she found out, Shadow was angry with Ratchet. She blamed him personally for the change. They even fought about it but she ran off before things got worse.

"What?" Shadow tried to keep her anger pinned down but she knew he could tell. She was angry. But not at him. Not at anyone. She was just angry that she would have to run for the rest of her life and avoid being a sex slave for Megatron.

"Why didn't you tell me about the labor? That you could feel it?" Ratchet watched Shadow flinch from the memory of the pain. He was being a little rough, tone wise, but sometimes he had to be with her. Shadow was difficult to get answers from.

"Because Ava and those babes were more important than me."

"Shadow," Ratchet sighed. He wanted to shake her, put some sense into her brain. So did Ironhide but his was more of hatred toward the girl. Well, jealousy.

"Hide still pissed at me," came the unexpected question and Ratchet had to chuckle. She was purposely avoiding the question he wanted to ask by asking another. But he could play her game...for now.

"You know he's just jealous. Nearly everyone is. We are a lonely species."

"What about females?" Shadow looked over at Ratchet. She saw his optics darken for a moment before shaking his head. She must have hit a soft spot and immediately regretted her words.

"Femmes are either extinct or rare to come by," was the simple answer Ratchet gave. Yeah, she regretted asking. Simple answers like that always spoke of losses, personal losses that could tear a tyrant's heart out.

Shadow didn't say anything else. She felt sorry for Ratchet but her mind traveled to the situation she was in. It made her wonder if Ratchet was only with her to escape loneliness. If she was just a toy for the 30 foot robot.

"You are not a toy, Shade," Ratchet chuckled when she whipped around, pointing a not so threatening finger in his direction. It was clear that she was confused as to how he knew, but the answer was simple. Though still a bit complicated from a non-robotic medic's viewpoint.

"The labor?"

Shadow grumbled when Ratchet brought her back to the reason of his visit. She didn't want to answer. The labor was not as painful, that much she knew. It only maintained at the level of slightly painful cramps, but it was the pressure that had put her over the edge. It had truly felt like her body was pushing out a baby and when the pain settled in her lower back...not good.

"I'm fine, Ratch. And I promise to tell you next time it happens. Okay?"

Ratchet looked down at the humanoid, surprised she wasn't screaming her mind off about how her life had turned into a living hell. It wasn't so much as a "my life sucks because I can have their babies" than a "I have to run away from Megatron for the rest of my life." That is if they could die.

"So?" Shadow squirmed from the uncomfortable silence. She knew her words would have some effect on Ratchet, but the way his optics never wavered from her face made her regret her words.

_I need to quit regretting my words. I never regret. Geesh, what is wrong with me?_

"You better tell me next time. I don't think I would be happy if you were pregnant and in labor without letting me know."

Shadow's jaw dropped. He actually was thinking about...

"No! I ain't ready for any kids!"

"Sparklings are not that difficult to take care of."

"Yeah, in a man's perspective!"

Ratchet laughed at her disgruntled state. She had actually stood up and looked ready to charge him. And her face was of disbelief. He had succeeded in surprising her and he could sense her fear as well. He found a weak spot.

"Does having children scare you?" he teased. Shadow growled at him, shaking her head violently. She placed a hand on her head, patting her hair in an attempt to calm herself down.

Shadow wasn't scared by it. She wasn't even bothered by the idea. The only thing she couldn't wrap her mind around was having intercourse with a 30 or so foot being. And it didn't make sense. If Cybertronians didn't have any bodily fluids for reproduction, then how do they have kids?

"Spark bonding."

"Quit reading my freaking thoughts, tin can!"

"Quit being an easy read, water bag."

"Pile of junk!"

"Ow, that actually hurt," Ratchet feigned being crushed as he covered his optics, pretending to cry. Shadow rolled her eyes, pulling her phone out of her pocket and sending off a few messages. An idea immediately struck her, making a wicked grin cross her features. And with Ratchet's optics covered, it made it the most perfect opportunity.

Without a second thought, Shadow bolted for Ratchet, jumping up and latching onto his armor. She watched his hand move away from his face but she didn't heisitate as she placed her phone on him and immediately turned it on vibrate. And thanks to him training her, she had a good idea as to where to put it.

"STOP!"

Success! Shadow hung on for dear life as Ratchet started to twist and turn, trying to dislodge the tiny human. She heard him cackle as she kept her phone vibrating on his side, tickling him. She even felt herself laughing at the idea of Ratchet being brought down by tickling. From someone her size. Priceless.

Not realizing that she was gathering a crowd of mechs and humans alike, Shadow started to make things worse. She was telling the medic, the one that all mechs feared when it came to check ups, to surrender. And with how stubborn Ratchet was, he wouldn't surrender easily.

"Shadow, stop it!"

"No! You must say that I'm the queen and you'll surrender!"

"Damn it!" Ratchet reached for his side but she once again avoided his grasp. It didn't help when she reached in, sticking the small device on a bunch of wires, forcing more ticklish vibrations through his body.

"Alright, alright!" Ratchet gasped before finally yelling out, "Shadow's the queen, I'll do as she commands, and I surrender! I surrender!"

"Good," Shadow finally stopped her tickle torture and hopped off onto the roof again. Ratchet looked at her, glaring a death glare. But Shadow wasn't phased by it as she calmly put her phone away. She gave him a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Since you said you'll do whatever I command, I want to play a game," she watched as Ratchet huffed once before agreeing. Immediately, her phone began to go off and she smiled as she read the text messages her friends' sent. And some of them was a bit funny.

"What game do you wish to play, my queen?" Ratchet lowered his hand to her, offering it as a means to get to the ground and Shadow took it. But he was regretting his words as she spoke about a game he swore he would never play.

"Truth or Dare."

~WWWWWWWWWW~

Ratchet looked around at the unfortunate Autobots who got dragged to the game and found himself pitying the others. Prime was there, trudging next to Ava. She had found a proper babysitter which turned out to be Clarity. Jazell was there, next to Jazz. How she managed to get him there was anyone's guess. And it seems Jazz had dragged Ironhide along, so it made it even better for Shadow.

Someone that made Shadow a little surprised at her appearance was one of their friend's from high school. She spent a lot of time with Ava simply because they worked together 5 days a week. And she was the most annoying girl in the world.

Zoe had black hair, her bangs dyed red, and she wore a black tee with baggy blue jeans. She also wore converse that matched. And when she meant annoying. She meant talking about nothing in particular like grass or potato chips. And it was constant.

What was the most surprising was Zoe didn't freak out when she saw the Autobots. Actually, she squealed in excitement and got super excited when Ironhide tried to blast her with his cannons.

"Zoe," Shadow acknowledged her as she sat between the twins. Zoe waved at her before continuing her conversation about her latest tatoo.

"Let's see, Ratchet, Prime, Mudflap, Skids, Jazz, Ironhide, Ava, Jazell, Zoe, and me. This looks like a good crowd," Shadow giggled. She heard Ratchet groan behind her but she didn't care. Shadow immediately held a vote on who should go first and to their disappointment, it was Zoe.

"Alright," Zoe clasped her hands together before looking straight at Mudflap, "Truth or Dare."

"I ain't no wuss so I pick dare," Mudflap said. Shadow smacked her face, feeling like it was going to be the end of the world. Because the one thing Zoe was good at was the way she made up dares. And some were absolutely ridiculous...

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: I know, cut it at the most good part. But here's my surprise. Besides helping me with pranks between Shadow and Ratchet, I am asking my readers to pick out the dares and which gets which dare or to pick the truths. It can be detailed or vague it doesn't matter. Just leave it in the review. Should make it really super interesting. And it can be anything. If they get really bad, then I'll raise the rating. Anyways! Let me know! Peace!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Boti: Okay, thanks for the pranks. Maybe I can get this story going. This may be a short story but then again, I could be wrong. Forgive me my friends! FORGIVE ME!_

_P. S. They are all in holoforms. Sorry but it is easier dare wise, except for one. That is a surprise for a lot of you. Tee hee!_

**Disclaimer: Don't own!**

**Golden Rule: NO FLAMES!**

**Warning: Kissing between two males and mention of sexual themes. Beware but it's not bad enough to move the rating to M. Unless you think so. Let me know!**

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Eight

"I ain't doing this!" Mudflap yelled. Zoe laughed at him as he precariously balanced on top of Skids head. Everyone watched in worry as Mudflap tried to fight his way out of doing a back flip. Only catch, he had to do it but land on top of Skids head again.

"You picked dare, so you have to do it!" Zoe yelled as she stood next to Ironhide. She clapped her hands in excitement as Mudflap cursed her before actually trying. Everyone watched in slow motion as he flipped around 3/4 quarters of the way before crashing on top of Skids.

"Damn it, punk!" Skids jumped up and shoved Mudflap, screaming absurd words before finally getting them both knocked out cold. Shadow looked over a Zoe, a sour look on her face as she shook her head.

"Which is why you are band from making dares," Shadow sighed as she decided to make Ava go next, since the next in line was...offline.

"Alright, um," Ava tapped her chin as she glanced at the remaining people before looking straight up at Optimus with a mischievous look. Shadow felt a strange curiousity as the famous line was said to Optimus and was surprised that he had chosen dare.

"Oh really," Ava giggled as she pointed at Ratchet while saying, "Kiss him."

"What? No," Ratchet quickly backed away from the group, his hands up in the air. Shadow watched with interest as Optimus didn't deny doing the dare and started to walk toward Ratchet.

"Prime, you can't be serious."

"Ratchet, I chose dare. I'm a mech of my word. Or I can chose truth and tell everyone what we did," Optimus said. Shadow's head immediately shot straight up and she quickly looked at everyone. They all had the same curious look as they watched Ratchet debate over the truth being known or receiving a kiss and leaving it a secret.

Without warning or even a clue, Ratchet grabbed the front of Prime's shirt and pulled him in, giving him a rather rough but quick kiss. Shadow's jaw dropped in total surprise as the two finally separated, Ratchet quickly retreating to his spot next to Shadow.

"Ratchet, you've done better than that," Prime said, walking back to his spot next to Ava. Shadow finally started to laugh as she realized that Prime had said a joke. This was a side no one was use to seeing but it was a nice change. Especially since the whole thing with the Decepticons and wanting to breed a new army.

"Shadow," Prime's voice brought her back to reality and Shadow looked up at Prime as he stared straight at her.

"Truth," Shadow quickly said, earning several groans of sadness as Prime pondered on a few questions to ask. He knew he could only ask one but choosing only one was a difficult choice. But Prime quickly decided to ask one, which would either make Ratchet happy or extremely jealous.

"Have you ever done anything sexual in your life and you have to explain everything in detail," Prime pointed at her as Shadow's face quickly flared up. Ratchet's gaze slowly fell on her as Shadow sighed. She was going to be honest and on top of that, she wasn't going to be embarrassed. Too much anyways.

"Yes, I have. With my last boyfriend. And, um, I gave him a blow job," Shadow said, sitting up straight. Zoe stared at her in shock, her mouth wide open as Shadow explained the situation.

Ratchet felt his hands clench in frustration as Shadow continued on with every word. It was torture and he knew that Prime was doing that one purpose. But it also showed their leader how much the medic cared for the girl. And with the war still continuing, it was important.

Shadow patted her cheeks for a moment as she got over her embarrassing tale and quickly looked at Ratchet. His eyes were narrowed toward her and he felt extreme jealousy as her words ran through his processor. Shadow quickly smiled at him, knowing a perfect way to get rid of her embarrassment.

The games continued with more strange kisses and crazy dares that made absolutely no sense to the dared. And even truths that shocked a lot of people, like Zoe's fear of french fries. Finally, it was down to the final dare or truth and it fell to Shadow, who had to pick the victim. Her eyes quickly settled on Ratchet and everyone knew he was going to be the last one of the day.

"Ratchet, truth or dare?"

Ratchet sighed deeply before picking dare. Shadow began to giggle insanely as she told him one thing to do and Ratchet quickly felt his insides die as he stared at her in complete anguish.

"I dare you to paint yourself pink!"

"You are joking," Ratchet sighed, disappearing. Everyone heard the famous whirl of transforming parts as Ratchet stood to full height but he didn't move. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders before annnoucing that the games were over.

"What? You have to paint yourself pink, Ratch!"

"I will not play these childish games. And I will not paint myself such a ridiculous color," Ratchet announced. Shadow rubbed her temples as she stood, meeting the Autobot eye to optic as she pointed a finger at the medic.

"It's the game. You have to paint yourself pink OR," she paused and smiled at all the participants, "wear a pink bikini all day on base tomorrow."

Laughter filled the room as they all watched the medic huff in frustration. Shadow smiled sweetly toward Ratchet before seeing his shoulders fall down in defeat as he nodded.

"Fine, I'll change my paint to pink. FOR 5 MINUTES ONLY!" Ratchet yelled as he stomped away. Everyone followed him and knew he was heading to the med bay. The Cybertronians needed a special kind of paint to adhere to their armor. And pink would be interesting.

~WWWWWWWWWW~

Everyone was stuck sitting in the med bay, waiting for Ratchet to step out and show off his new paint job. Shadow sighed as she remembered her cold shower, glad she was able to get some sort of revenge against him, though she got her revenge a few times.

After a few agonizing moments, they heard footsteps and Shadow knew he was standing in the room when everyone broke out in laughter. She looked up at him and grinned, laughing at the hot pink color covering his armor.

"You look like a flippin' ballerina, Ratch!" Zoe yelled out as she pointed at him and laughed. Everyone else followed with their own insults and comparisons.

"Bumblegum bot!"

"That's the biggest flamingo I have ever seen!"

"Lollipop!"

Shadow laughed at that but quickly shut her mouth as Ratchet gave her a rather perverted look. She quickly bit her tongue, pretending to not be bothered or affected by the other words that followed after that. She kept her mouth shut the rest of the 5 minutes before he finally pushed everyone out of the room so he could change his paint job again.

"Shadow, you stay here," he said after everyone left, making her stay behind. And she was moved to the counter so she would be stuck in the room as he entered the paint room.

"Thanks for the boring time!" Shadow yelled as she waited, feeling her head pound from the boredom she was experiencing. It was driving her nuts as she flopped back on the counter as she continued to wait.

Finally, after agonizing waiting moments, Ratchet walked out reveling in his new shiny coat. But Shadow knew that if you scratched off the top coat, you would find a pretty pink coating underneath.

"I assume your revenge has finally been performed. Afterall, that was torturous to me," Ratchet snapped at her as he checked over his armor. Shadow shrugged her shoulders, not answering him as she stared up at the ceiling before closing her eyes. She still didn't move as she felt hands touch her legs as she opened her eyes to look down. Her eyes were greeted with a smiling blonde haired man and she couldn't help the nervousness that hit her.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked him. Ratchet chuckled before allowing his hands to follow her sides as he pretended to ponder on the question.

"The lollipop phrase brought out a rather interesting thought in my...mind," Ratchet snickered when Shadow slapped his hands away.

"You truly are a pervert!"

"And that bothers you?" he teased her as she suddenly got up, backing away from him. She didn't understand why he was suddenly so...horny. This wasn't like Ratchet to want to jump on her sexually. Something indeed had changed.

"What is wrong with you?" Shadow asked and suddenly, Ratchet backed away from her like she was a plague. It was strange and Shadow sat in front of him, grabbing his hands as she studied his eyes.

"Ratchet?"

"I'm fine, Shadow," he told her. But she knew he wasn't. Something was wrong but whatever it was wouldn't be bad. At least, she felt that way.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: I got a little twist adding to this. So, please be aware as I might add this to the rated M section. Might. I don't know yet._


	9. Chapter 9

_Boti: Oh my gosh, the movie made me so sad and mad. But it wasn't surprising. In the original movie from the 1980s, all Autobots besides Jazz, Bumblebee, Perceptor, and Cliffjumper died. And in the fourth and final season of Transfomers, Prime was brought back to life. But still, I wish Bay didn't kill off anyone. Afterall, Transformers was a neverending story. So it's very depressing._

_Anyways, if you haven't seen it then I won't spoil it for you. But you will be very depressed. I am so sorry for all you fans. But don't let it stop you from writing stories and changing it to make you happy. I know it won't for me._

**Disclaimer: **I do not own and never will. If I did, I would have changed certain things.

**Golden Rule: **NO FLAMES! It's just for fun. And I don't have a beta so if I misspelled something, sorry. Anyways, enjoy.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Nine

~dream~

_She remained curled on the floor in light shadows, unable to move from her exhaustion. It had been a good day and she had done the most exercise in this one day than the others. But she knew she wasn't done. She had a rather large decision to make and she had to make it with her Princess._

_"Ambre, are you ready?"_

_"Yes, Princess Avella. And may I ask as to what is going on?"_

_"You will see," Avella popped her head into the room as Ambre walked into view, next to Avella. Ambre wore a black gown and her brown hair was cascading down her shoulder. Ambre commanded the shadows to hide her Princess, her friend since they were children. It was thanks to her family. They visited frequently from their planet before leaving her behind, allowing her to stay with the princess._

_"Avella, please tell me. What is going on?" Ambre asked as she walked with Avella arm in arm. Avella sighed after a moment before telling her the truth of the situation._

_"You get to choose a mate with me. Someone has decided that you get to choose and it's making me feel less worried about it."_

_"Princess, you will never be bonded with Megatron. He is evil and you are nothing close to evilness. You are good. An Autobot," Ambre reassured her. Avella giggled as she stopped her friend, pointing off toward the doors she was going toward._

_"We are going to meet with several Autobots. Though the leader has gone to a very important meeting himself. It's thanks to grandma and grandpa that we even got a meeting with them," Avella explained, finally pulling Ambre with her._

_"But why am I being dragged to pick a mate? I thought Cybertronians only mated with Cybertronians?"_

_"There have been some instances where the couple were not from the same planet," Avella looked at her friend, shaking a finger in her face, "Now no trying to get out of it. It's something for the men to do. Afterall, other femmes...well...they don't exist anymore."_

_The mood quickly changed somber as the girls stopped in their tracks again, thinking about the pending war ahead. It could end bad as Ambre moved her brown hair away from her face. Her teal blue eyes locked with her friend's brown as they sighed._

_"I really hope it's all rumors," Avella grabbed her friend's hands as they ran to the doors where Avella's grandmother was waiting._

_"Hello darlings. Are you girls ready?" she asked as they nodded in unison._

_"Don't worry, grandma. I'm sure my bonded is here today," Avella sounded sure. Ambre took a deep breath as the doors opened, revealing the choices. And somehow she felt like she was going to have a life changing experience. One that was rare. She only hoped her sister woud understand it._

~end dream~

Shadow's eyes slowly opened as she looked around, seeing that she was in her room. But she wasn't alone as she shifted slightly, feeling arms around her waist. She looked behind her and sighed. Ratchet was holding her and she felt safe as she pondered on the dream.

The dream frightened her in a way. The girl, Ambre, looked exactly like her. Only she was younger and her ears were slightly pointed with purple swirls around her ears and side of her face. But still, the girl was almost like her.

"Perhaps I can ask Ava later about her," Shadow whispered, not realizing that she was talking out loud.

"About who?"

Shadow jumped from the sudden voice and she turned, seeing Ratchet looking at her. He was showing concern with her being wide awake but Shadow only laughed.

"Nothing, Ratch. My dream only bothered me a bit and I want to talk to Ava tomorrow about it," Shadow relaxed a bit as Ratchet brought her closer to his form. His arms tighened around her waist as he started to doze off again. Shadow relaxed some before finally falling asleep again. And this time, peacefully.

~WWWWWWWWWW~

"Ava, can I ask you something?" Shadow found Ava sitting in the nursery that was made in her room. Optimus was able to park in a makeshift garage next to the room, allowing his holoform to enter the room without straining his systems to much.

"You can ask me anything," Ava looked up from the twins as the two decided to throw their bottles at the same time. Ava sighed deeply as she reluctantly collected the partially drank bottles and gave them back.

"Ava, who is Ambre?"

Ava stiffened suddenly as the two babies, only a few days old, crawled away from their mother. Shadow knew the name rang a bell to Ava, even though she was only still regaining her memories.

"Yes, I know who she is," Ava looked up at Shadow as she sat down next to the princess. Ava sighed as she hugged her knees to her chest, watching her children play in a pool of balls. The two laughed as they threw their projectiles back and forth.

"I had a dream about her. But it's frightening. She looks like me. And I want to know why," Shadow answered, looking over at her friend. Ava nodded in understanding as she looked over at Shadow.

"Shadow, Ambre was my guardian. Which probably explains why you are so protective of me. Ambre means Shadow."

"What are you saying?" Shadow felt like something about her life, something about her history was about to be announced. Like why her parents had died or why she was so overprotective of Ava. Or why she felt connected to Ratchet.

"Shadow," Ava sighed again as she looked straight at her friend, "I believe you are the reincarnation of Ambre. All of my friends are reincarnations of my friends back on Cybertron. I didn't remember that until now."

Silence began to drown the two as Shadow absorbed all the information that was given to her. Her dream was about her past. One of her pasts. And it was a little frightening to her. To think that she was reincarnated on the same planet that the princess was on. But her life wasn't just a coincidence apparently. There was something new for her to do.

"How did she die, Ava?" Shadow asked, knowing immediately that she wasn't going to like the answer. And she was right as Ava answered her.

"Megatron."

One simple name told infinitely more than anyone could understand. And that explained Shadow's fears and nightmares. Hell was coming. A hell that Shadow may not survive.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: I know a lot of you are confused and have many questions but please bare with me for the questions will be answered in time. It's turning out real interesting with the compatibility with Transformers and reincarnations stuff. Anyways, hope you liked. Please review!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Boti: had to post two for you guys. Trying to get chapters longer but its hard. ANYWHO ENJOY!_

_~XXXXXXXXXX~_

Chapter Ten

Night was becoming hell for Shadow. She didn't want to sleep as her _nightmares_ got worse. Dreams of being raped by red eyed demons or forced to perform actions naked in front of many of them. She didn't understand why she was so afraid and now she wouldn't sleep without Ratchet. He was concerned about her health and it didn't make any sense to him.

"Ready for bed?" Ratchet's voice brought her out of her thoughts as she jumped. She had been hiding things from him but he knew they were only dreams. Dreams were always fictional images created by the dreamer. So t.v. or other forms of entertainment were band from her an hour before bed.

"You're not my dad," Shadow finally snapped after she got her heart to calm down. Ratchet laughed at her but Shadow had noticed that his demeanor was a bit different. He seemed very...sexual with her sometimes. And it was weird because he would snap out of it, immediately apologizing to her.

"You'll have to tell me sometime," Shadow brought up as she lay back on the bed. Ratchet didn't reply as he positioned himself beside her, his arm around her waist possessively. She was right, as always, but he still wasn't sure if she would accept what he was hiding.

"Night angel," Ratchet whispered to her, kissing her forehead before waiting for her to fall asleep. Which didn't take long as her eyes finally fluttered closed before he followed suit.

~dream~

_"Oh wow," Ambre giggled as all the Autobots bowed to the two girls who walked in. Avella sighed deeply as she looked around, knowing somehow deep within that her one was not in the crowd. _

_"That was disappointing," Avella said as she grabbed her friend's hand. Ambre giggled once as they walked around the room, watching as some of the bots ignored them. Others watched with interest as the tiny humanoids walked around them. Ambre felt like she was zoning out before she ran into another's leg. _

_"Excuse me," Ambre looked up at the obvious medic as he looked down at her. He seemed concerned about her sudden detactment of the current situation. But the princess waved off his concern, saying that it was Ambre's normal attitude._

_"Ambre? That is an interesting name," the medic said. Ambre shrugged her shoulders as she defended her name, saying how she thought it suited her personality._

_Several hours passed as the Autobots began to leave, realizing that no one was attaching to either girl. All except one and he approached the two. Avella's grandmother was immediately defensive of the girls as her grandfather stood up to the medic._

_"What is it?" he questioned. The medic bowed to the only other male as his gaze fixed itself on Ambre._

_"Forgive me Alpha Trion, but I wish to speak with Ambre. Alone?" the last word was spoken very unsure but Avella's grandfather allowed him to take Ambre away. Ambre wasn't frightened by the medic and was eager to speak with him, though she was unsure as to why._

_As they got away from the group, though they were still in sight to Avella, Ambre felt her body grow excited. And that's when she knew who this Autobot was to her._

_"I believe you already know, Ambre," the medic spoke, bringing Ambre back to the situation at hand. Ambre nodded and smiled up at him, seeing him smile in turn._

_"What's your name first?"_

_"Ratchet. I'm a medical officer of the Autobots," he said as Ambre relaxed in his hand. She giggled much like a child as she thought about what he said._

_"Well, that won't let me get away with a lot," she said. Ratchet chuckled at her as he agreed with her. Ambre relaxed some as she studied her newfound love. Which was surprising. She was a protector and he was a medic. And she was a jokester. Quit often as well._

_"Ratchet."_

_"Hm," the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable but she knew she had to ask. She came from another planet, another custom. Most of the Cybertronian customs were still new to her. And this custom that she has to participate in was still unknown to her._

_"How do you bond with your true mate?"_

_He chuckled as he looked at the girl. She was still immature mentally and just as shy as the princess. But she was still tough and strong. And that was what they needed in these trying times._

_"You'll see, Ambre. You'll see..."_

~end dream~

Shadows eyes flew open as she remained frozen in her bed. That dream told her infinitely more than she already knew and it was eating away at her. Ambre was Ratchet's mate. And if she remembered correctly, the second one he lost. Now she understood why he was so defensive of her. And why he was a little heisitant to get with her.

Still, she wasn't sure why she was remembering everything. Remembering a life that wasn't physically hers. There had to be a special meaning to these memories and it was driving her insane. That is, if lack of sleep doesn't do it first.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Shadow found herself glued to the med bay counter once again and it wasn't something she was use doing. She normally was planning to pull a prank or helping in the medical facility but since the dreams, she couldn't bring herself to even smile. Something was wrong and it was driving her close to insanity.

The doors to the med bay opened and she looked up, spotting Ratchet walking in with Ironhide. Hide was complaining about a malfunction in his cannons, his one true love. Ratchet, on the other hand, was ignoring Hide's complaints as he tried to focus on a data pad.

"Ironhide, according to these charts, there is no malfunction. You simply missed," Ratchet said. Not many dared to say that the great weapon's specialist missed a target. Ratchet wasn't one of them.

"I didn't miss!"

"Yes, you did. Now unless you have an actual medical problem, go practice," Ratchet watched as Ironhide stomped away, shaking the floor and letting other unfortunate people in his path know that he was coming. Ratchet shook his head, frustrated and a little amused.

"He is such a child sometimes," he said out loud.

"That's Ironhide for you," her voice had him turn and look at the counter. He hadn't realized Shadow was in the room and it didn't make any sense as to how she managed to get on the counter but that wasn't his concern. Her sad eyes made him realize something was truly wrong.

"Shadow?"

"I'm Ambre, aren't I?" her words made Ratchet freeze, his eyes suddenly going dark. He wasn't sure how to respond to her observation. And he was confused. He wasn't sure how she discovered about Ambre.

Silence stretched between them as Ratchet processed all sorts of explainations. But he failed, knowing that lying to her would destroy their relationship. But he had to know...

"How do you know of her?"

Again, silence stretched between them. He watched as she looked up at him, a sad smile on her face. But the tears betrayed her feelings, betrayed her decision.

"Ratchet, I am her reincarnation. I have her memories. That's why I can't sleep at night. I remember everything!" he scanned her body as she spoke, watching as her anger increased, "And I can't believe you never told me that I looked like someone! How can I be sure that you love Shadow! Me! Instead of Ambre!"

"Shade, I care for you. Ambre died many years ago and during that time, I have healed."

"But how can I be sure?"

"Shadow, I -"

"You're even hiding things from me! And you've been flipping sexual like a dog in heat! Now tell me what is going on!"

Ratchet watched her for a moment before huffing air through his vents. He rubbed the back of neck before transforming, his holoform appearing next to her. She watched as he collasped on the counter top next to her, removing his glasses from his face and rubbing it.

"Shade, I know your upset and doubtful. I would be as well, seeing how you look almost like her. There are some small differences but," Ratchet looked at her, "it doesn't change anything."

"Damn right it doesn't!" Shadow screamed as she grabbed two fistfulls of hair. Ratchet grabbed her hands in turn, gently prying them from her head. He hugged her, shushing her as he also tried to keep her from ripping her hair out.

"Shadow, there are things about us Transformers that we try to keep hidden. If I told you that we had certain seasons in our cycles, then you might panic or "freak out" in your human terms," Ratchet whispered to her. Shadow's eyes widened as she remained frozen in his arms, her mind trying frantically to put things together. Everything in her mind began to make strange accusations. Even one that somehow made Shadow want to laugh as she pictured Ratchet dancing around a pole.

Finally, something clicked and she felt her mind reel in shock. It was the only thing that could make sense. The only reason why Ratchet was acting so weird.

"You guys have a mating season?" Shadow watched as Ratchet leaned back, his holoform's face a bright red.

"Which is why our attitudes are a little...sexual. And why Ironhide missed the target."

Shadow began to laugh but she stopped and shuttered with the images of Ironhide thinking sexually. So not what she wanted to picture. But it did explain Ratchet's behaviour.

"So what do you guys do when you don't have a partner?"

Ratchet stared at her, raising a brow. Shadow had a feeling her quesiton was going to be answered in a more unwanted fashion.

Ratch slowly moved foward, his lips brushing along her cheek. Shadow didn't move an inch as he whispered into her ear, "If you really want to know, then I can show you."

"I don't think I want to know," Shadow's face flared up again as she slowly scooted away from him. Ratchet chuckled at her reaction, finding it cute. But he understood her fear. She was still innocent. But he was worried that his type of mating would be to much for her. That is if she wanted to do so.

"So," her voice trailed off as he watched her hug her knees, taking on a very childish manner, "what theories do you have about human/cybertronian mating techniques?"

Ratchet felt his spark jump in excitement but he knew that she was just researching for her own curiousity. It wasn't right for him to immediately assume that she would be willing to experiment with him. Plus he wasn't sure how to prevent conception.

"If you decide to mate with me, Shadow, then it would be best for my holoform to participate. For now, until I know exactly how to prevent pregnancy in my real form," Ratchet explained. Shadow nodded in agreement, knowing that he was trying to watch out for her. And she knew it would be best to get comfortable with a human body before the other.

Ratchet felt his insides quiver, knowing that he shouldn't be this excited, but Shadow was silently agreeing to the decision. But he knew that he couldn't hold back much longer. He would have to do something about it before he lost his mind.

"Well," Shadow watched as Ratchet looked over at her, his eyes reflecting his confusion. She smirked as he studied her face before seeing a decision he hadn't expected in her eyes. And it caused excitement to fly through him in a surprising strength.

"Oh hell yes!" he tackled her, pinning her to the top of the counter, kissing her with all the might he could muster. He felt her body mold to the holoform he was using as he kissed his way to her ear, whispering, "I'll be gentle but I promise you, you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will doctor. Your treatments are the best," her smirk grew in size as he chuckled at her. Shadow felt anticipation and butterflies fill her stomach as he looked at her, a mischievous glint filling his eyes.

"You have no idea."

~WWWWWWWWWW~

"Prime, have you seen Shadow?" Ava scurried down the hallway, meeting Prime halfway to the medical bay. Prime quickly scooped her up into his hands, carrying her the rest of the way.

"No I have not. Ironhide, however, says that she was in the med bay," he answered her. Ava sighed in relief, her fear about Shadow's past memories haunting her friend floating off her. It was painful to admit that she wanted Ambre back but Shadow was nearly like her and in some ways, Shadow was better.

A surprising sound assaulted Ava's ears and she looked up, seeing that Prime had stopped. He was staring at the med bay doors and Ava did the same. She heard a familiar voice calling out a name in a heated fashion and quickly felt her face flare up in surprise.

"Are they..."

"I believe they are," Prime acknowledged her trailed off words as they slowly backed away from the doors. Embarrassment took over them as Prime quickly walked away, sending a comm to all the Autobots, warning them to stay away for an hour. Or least be scarred for life.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Had to add the last part. It was funny and it was bugging me to be added. Hope you liked. It's a bit longer. I am trying my hardest to make it longer and I am trying to keep the story moving. So, with a heads up, Decepticons will be coming in the next few chapters. Finally getting a move on. Finally._


	12. Chapter 12

_Boti: Sorry for the long wait people. I am trying to get these going so I am moving along as fast as possible at this point in time. But work is just crazy with the holidays and you know how that goes. Anyways, hope you enjoy as these girls drive each other crazy today. LOL_

**Warning:** Sexual themes mentioned in this chapter but nothing to detailed or over the top. But this is a strong rated T!

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Twelve

Ratchet sighed as he watched Shadow resting in her bed. He was so happy to know that she had given him her body, her innocence. Ratchet had noticed that today's society, innocence was a rare thing. Love making was not sacred or loving. Just a fun activity for others. With him, he mated for life. But he made sure not to use that term. Shadow didn't like it.

"Ratch?"

He saw Shadow blink up at him, a soft smile on her lips. He felt his body suddenly shoot to life again, every receptor wanting to experience her body once again. But he knew she needed to rest, needed to heal.

"Yes?" he raised a brow as she slowly sat up, seeing a slight cringe shake her body as she pretended to be unaffected by it. But he knew differently. Having done research on multiple websites through his connection to the internet.

"What are you doing up? Aren't you tired?" Shadow yawned and stretched. She still felt sore but she didn't complain, knowing it would pass. And she was glad that he had been gentle with her. Though she wasn't looking forward to the questions she was sure to get.

"I am fully recharged. You have been recharging for nearly 12 hours," Ratchet watched as a slight panicked expression crossed her face but he reassured her quickly. He had already sent out the comm that Shadow and he would be unavailable for the day.

A sigh escaped his lips as he thought about that comm. Prime had an amused tone to his own message and Ratchet knew that Prime had somehow found out what had transpired. And it didn't bode well for the two.

"Got the same thoughts, huh?" Shadow giggled when Ratchet sat on the bed, nodding his head in agreement.

"I have been concerned about that. I could tell that our…..meeting in the med bay had not gone by unknown," Ratchet watched as Shadow ran her fingers through her hair, holding the blanket around her as she pondered on what he said. There was no doubt that someone knew. It just depended on who it was that discovered it.

"Perhaps we shouldn't worry so much, you know. I mean, unless you are ashamed…"

"Never," Ratchet quickly spoke as he grabbed her hand. He knew she had been nervous and he had expected her worries about not being…experienced enough. It was a normal worry for the humans he had discovered, thanks to Mikaela and Sam.

"Alright," Shadow smiled, knowing that Ratchet wouldn't lie to her. And she still felt comfortable around him, which put to rest the one worry she had when she woke as well.

"Well, get ready. We have work to go do," Ratchet leaned toward her, kissing her forehead and giving her hand a squeeze before disappearing. Shadow giggled once he was gone, knowing that within a few moments, her room door would burst open with an excited sister and best friend. And sure enough, once she had grabbed a towel to take a shower, her door flew open, 3 people stumbling inside from excitement.

"Shadow! Shadow!" Ava screamed, jumping up and down like a school girl. Clarity immediately hugged her as Jazell giggled as well, watching the older sister congratulate the younger on becoming a woman.

"You gotta tell us how Ratchet was in bed. And how big he projected himself and if he was gentle or animalistic or-"

"Clarity!" Shadow yelled her sister's name as an explosion of red covered her cheeks. The group of friends immediately quieted, knowing that Shadow had to get comfortable with the questions and knew they had rushed her a little too quickly. Shadow, though blunt and usually not shy about anything, had a tendency of being embarrassed about personal experiences.

"Girls, let's let Shadow take a shower," Ava spoke, pointing out the fact that Shadow was still covered in a blanket….and nothing else.

"Alright!" Clarity, completely unashamed, pushed her younger sister toward the bathroom, stepping in with her as well. Shadow knew her sister wasn't bothered by the intrusion as she was, but knew better than to complain. So without hesitation, she started the water and stepped in, shutting the curtain completely to have some sort of privacy.

"So, are you alright?"

Shadow sighed after a moment of silence. Her sister was concerned, which is why her questions were a bit detailed. And she had to admit, she did feel a little pain but it was nothing she couldn't handle for the day.

"I am alright, sis. Just a little sore. Why you ask?"

"You're my sister. And I knew you were worried about sex, ever since you were younger. And found out that I was experienced in that department. So," Clarity sat down on the floor, leaning against the door, "you can understand my worry. I had thought you would panic but you're a doctor so that was unnecessary."

"Panic? Why would I panic? I have seen plenty of gory things in books and in person and plenty of penises in books as well."

"But in person is a different story, isn't it?"

It was the truth as Shadow didn't reply, freezing inside the shower. It was different and rather frightening but she had read enough to understand the concept of the act. Still, she did remember how her eyes had widened in shock.

"Told ya," Clarity piped up, chuckling when Shadow snorted in response.

"So what about it? I did get nervous but I knew it wasn't going to be bad and I know how the human body can accommodate his large size," Shadow said. Suddenly, she covered her mouth, hearing her sister squeal when the words finally struck the right cord in her brain.

"So he _did_ project himself to that size," Clarity laughed. Shadow turned off the water, ripping the curtain to the side. She didn't care if she was standing naked before Clarity. Only thing on her mind was telling Clarity off.

Before words ever left her mouth, Shadow froze, remembering why she made sure to cover her chest. And it showed on her sister's face that is was far too late to pull the curtains back.

"Wow….animalistic is the answer," Clarity stared at the marks on her sister's chest, the bruises that marked Ratchet's claim on her. And somehow that bothered her more than she had realized. This meant she would have to talk to Ava about it. To make sure this wasn't a bad thing.

"Um," Shadow bit her bottom lip, reaching for the towel that was waiting for her. She quickly dried off, covering herself afterwards and waited. Clarity, however, simply smiled. She would get her answers later. But she definitely knew that a robot was not for her.

~WWWWWWWWWW~

Shadow sat in her chair, stretching her joints. The days that had passed were over and so were the constant questions that she was bombarded with. Everyone had officially gotten use to the new relationship that had joined the many others and Lennox had finally calmed after hearing the rumor that turned out to be true. Still, he did not complain either, as long as their work was finished on time and there were no distractions as well.

Still, it did not help Shadow. The past few days seemed to tear at her. Though she was able to sleep, an unsettling feeling took over her emotions. Like there was something horrible approaching, a test she feared she wouldn't survive. But it was silly. Something stupid that she didn't need to worry about. And even then, she was on Diego Garcia. No decepticon would dare come near a military base surrounded by Autobots.

"Shadow?"

"Hm?" she turned, spotting one of the newest recruits. She looked a bit nervous, like most. And it was obvious that this one was more of a technical guru rather than a combat expert.

"You're needed out behind the hanger. Ratchet wants to speak with you," she said before turning away, walking as fast as possible. Shadow couldn't help but wonder why this person was so unsocialized but that was for another time. Ratchet needed her and she pondered on why he chose such a hidden location.

Shrugging her shoulders, she got up, making her way out the back of the hanger. But once her hand touched the knob, she froze. The feeling of dread took over her entire form, making her feel absolutely sick. She found herself unable to open the door to go out and knew she was receiving stares by the other soldiers nearby.

"This is silly," she whispered harshly, finally shaking off the feeling. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, feeling the heat of the day hit her face as she smiled. Stepping out, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the light, only to see the same recruit waiting for her.

"Miss?"

"I've been waiting for you," a metallic voice reached Shadow's ears, causing her to step back. The door had shut behind her and before she could react, a sudden pain overtook her body, radiating from her head. Falling to the ground, she watched as the unknown person transformed into the shape of a familiar robot. The logo on its chest prominent and spilling fear into Shadow's heart as her eyes closed. She just hoped she would be found in time.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Yeah, Yeah, I know. Sad and at a point you didn't want to be at. So come on, give me a break. At least I updated. Yep, so be ready to read some more since I got this thing to move on. Yeppers, that I did! YAY!_


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER:** I DON'T OWN TRANSFORMERS IN ANY WAY! I DO NOT MAKE MONEY OFF THE STORIES! I JUST USE THE CHARACTERS FOR MY OWN SICK TWISTED ENJOYMENT AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS WHO LIKE IT TOO! THANKS FOR NOT SUING ME IN ADVANCE!

**Golden Rule: **If you do not like any of my stories, then I ask that you do not leave any sort offlaming review. I understand that Mary Sue sucks on occasion, but Mary Sue does happen and not all Mary Sue stories suck. I have read a few that just were fun to read because they were sappy. Not all women are strong and not all have enemies. Plus, there is no need to hate on someone's work. It's called support not dissing or trashing. Cause that just makes you look pathetic. Get over your "Perfectionistic" self and get a real life. They didn't ruin yours. Find someone else to pick on. Thank you.

_Boti: Sorry for the rant guys, I just had to make it extremely clear. So on with the chapter you have been waiting on forever….._

~XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX~

Chapter Thirteen

Ratchet searched the entire premises, ready to have a spark attack. He couldn't find Shadow anywhere. She had just disappeared and everyone he asked would reply the same way. They haven't seen her all day. Ratchet slowly started to lose his mind and was ready to rip the whole place apart when suddenly, a small new recruit got his holoform's attention. She stated that she had seen Shadow step out the back of the recreation room. Another newbie had told her to meet her in the back, which flipped a red flag for Ratchet.

"Why would they go to the back for a talk? No human ever does that here," he asked. The young recruit shrugged her shoulders, admitting that she was sure and it did bother her.

"They never came back though. And that was an hour ago," she admitted. Ratchet nodded his thanks and immediately went to check the area.

"Shadow, are you…." He immediately stopped. His eyes widened almost immediately when the chemical solution entered his mind's receptors. The solution was biological. And it was blood…._her _blood.

Ratchet quickly looked around, taking in the sight of the back of the hanger. To a human, it would look like a normal alley way in the city, but he saw more than he wanted to see. There was a smudge of blood on the ground beside the back door. He knew who it belonged too and his spark felt like bursting. He sensed the one thing he didn't want to admit to, and discovered that they had been fooled to think their base was safe. Especially since the love of his life, _his spark_, had been taken…..

By Decepticons.

~WWWWWWWWWW~

Her head pounded and Shadow groaned. Her whole world began to spin as soon as her eyes opened and in response, she squeezed them shut, processing her body to discover what the pain and disorientation was being caused from. Almost immediately she knew it was from a blow to the head. Aside from the headache, she felt a slight twang of pain on the surface of the skin. She was able to deduce a blow. Still, the headache was the worse. And it didn't help she was sitting up, her hands handcuffed behind her back to the chair. And her feet tied to the legs of the chair as well…

"They watch too many action movies," she groaned, trying to get comfortable. She sighed, trying to remember how she ended up like this and knowing that Ratchet was probably going nuts unable to find her. She just hoped that he got a clue and found her soon or her ghost would mess up his freaking body if he didn't.

"You are awake," a slight hiss caused her head to snap up. Shadow forcefully made her eyes to focus on who spoke. Almost immediately, she felt herself pale at who it was.

"Are you freaking mad? What do the Decepticon's want with me you psycho bitch?!" Shadow screamed, catching the femme bot's attention. She chuckled, making Shadow's skin crawl at what that reaction could imply.

"Oh, I don't know. But," the bot leaned in closer to Shadow's face, getting her to want to lean back in response, "let's not insult Alice by your words."

Shadow looked this bot over and immediately recognized her from college. The day when Prime died….and the bitch needed to pay by Shadow's own personal feelings.

"Go to hell, bag of scrap metal," she hissed. Alice screeched loudly, winding back to hit her, but another hand stopped her own from propelling forward. Shadow snorted in mock laughter as Alice backed off, still glaring daggers at the young woman who insulted her. Shadow of course didn't care that Alice was pissed. Karma was a bitch and at some point, Alice would get what she deserved.

"So, the young prodigy awakens," the hiss of a voice got Shadow to look up, her heart pounding in her chest. She recognized that voice. The very voice that sent shivers down her spine and hatred flying from her eyes as she looked over the holoform. She swore she had seen him before but she couldn't remember where. His muscular physique was very familiar, as was the solid black, messy hair. And the red eyes that they failed to hide with fake contacts.

"Decepticon asshole, what do you want?" she spat at him, watching the smirk on his face falter for just a brief moment before throwing his head back in laughter. He had to admit this woman was very furoucious but he didn't mind. As long as he followed Megatron's orders to the tee, he didn't mind at all.

"I am just following orders, doctor," he snarled before smirking again, crossing his arms in front of his chest. And almost immediately it snapped. Shadow quickly recognized, not only her

surroundings, but who the Decepticon was.

"What the hell? You are the cop dude on the first day Ava met Optimus! What was your name? Oh yeah, Barricade!" she screamed, struggling with her bonds. She wanted to hit him and hug all at the same time. Which Barricade must have noticed cause he looked a little freaked out by her behavior.

"No, dude. I want to thank you. If you hadn't scared the living hell out of us, then Ava wouldn't have been reunited with her hubby. You are a life saver and it was all thanks to-" she choked. Her bonds were snapped and she was suddenly thrust against the wall by her throat, a sneering red eyed man standing over her small form.

"That day was the worse day of my life. I do not save lives. I destroy them. And Optimus will die for the pain he caused me," Barricade hissed. Shadow knew by his pained voice that she had hit a subject that she should not have but it got her out of her bonds. Even if she couldn't breathe right at that moment.

"Barricade," Alice called to him, getting the man's attention, "let her go. Megatron does not want damaged goods. He said a healthy specimen. Any more damage and the plan will fail. Besides, you'll have the last laugh as she is begging you for more."

"Wait, what?" Shadow coughed out as he let her fall to her knees. She saw him back away, grumbling that he was stopped from his own enjoyment. Alice, on the other hand, approached her and knelt down, looking her straight in the eyes.

"You don't know?" the harsh whisper scared Shadow more than anyone, getting the doctor's very heart to stop as she contemplated on what was being said. But there was only one reason why they would take her. Why they would risk their own lives for her own. And why they hadn't killed her yet. Which Alice wasn't bothered at all by giving Shadow her answer.

"You are going to give us children. And lots of them."

~WWWWWWWWWWW~

The townspeople didn't give them any answers. The photo his holoform showed brought up no knew leads. Even Optimus began to worry as the trail they had followed went cold. She couldn't be very far as the town was the cause. But the big city wasn't going to give up her bury too easily. Especially since half the town was under construction.

"Optimus, we have searched everywhere. I don't know where else to look," Ratchet was broken as he looked at his leader. Both holoform's looked like hell. Optimus was worried in his own right since Ava was broken herself. She had gone with Ironhide, searching the nearest town for her friend. The wouldn't give up though. At least not until they had some sort of closure, good or bad.

"We'll find her. I promise," Optimus patted his friend on his back, trying to give him some sort of comfort. Before they even got back into their alt forms, a gentleman got their attention, being closely followed by a couple of friends. Ratchet dared to hope for a moment as the young man asked for the picture to see if he was right.

"Oh yeah, I seen her. Some blonde chick was carrying her into the new police station in the blocked off area of town. You know, the one blocked off by all the new construction. Dad told me to ignore it but I got concerned when some dirty cop walked in later. He wasn't in uniform and it didn't look like no interrogation either."

Optimus immediately thanked the man, signaling for Ironhide to meet them at the location. Ratchet immediately went to get in his alt form, only to pause when the young man stopped him by a disturbing question.

"You ain't abusing her, are ya man? You ain't a jealous boyfriend?"

Ratchet looked at him, showing the man the tears that were on his face. The whole group could tell he was a tough man, but to cry was a rarity that no one at the base had seen. Or even considered.

"She is my world, young man. I would kill for her if she commanded it. And the only people who should fear me are those who hurt her or take her from me. So no, I am not a jealous boyfriend. I am her soldier and she is my sole reason to come home safe."

The man removed his arm as Ratchet climbed in, unable to look at him any longer with the tears in his eyes. It took everything he had to project normal colored tears but as he took off, he felt the change. The taste of energon on his lips. And soon, so would the bastard who dared to take her away.

~XXXXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: How long as it been? Been forever hasn't it? Well anyways, here is number 13! I will get the next chapter up in a week or two. I just now got back into writing. Trust me, I have been on a long hiatus due to some massive changes. Like moving to another state. Full time job. Full time mom. Full time student. Yes, I am back in school. College freshman. And I have internet at home now. So this should be easier. I hope. Anyways, hope you liked it. Give me thy support. I missed it. Now, Love Protects needs a new chapter…..hmmmm…_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

It didn't take long for them to find the area blocked off to all civilians and as Prime tried to get permission past the barrier, Ratchet continued to wait in agony. He couldn't wait much longer and even considered driving straight through the barrier, regardless if the police were called. But that would mean the Decepticons would know they were coming. And he couldn't risk her being harmed if they heard him break through.

"Thanks," Prime's holoform immediately got into his alt form, messaging Ratchet that they had the go ahead. Trying everything he had to go slowly past the opened road, Ratchet kept his optics open, searching for the new police station that housed his heart. Prime continued to offer some sort of support as they swerved through every street, scanning every building in case she had been moved. But it didn't change as Ratchet finally caught sight of the building. And the cop car parked out front…

~XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX~

Shadow felt her body turn to ice as Barricade entered the cell again. She continued to watch as he would enter the room, laughing at her failed attempts to stand. They had placed a metal collar on her and a chain that was connected to a wall. Barricade would insult her, calling her a rabid dog and a pathetic animal. He then would hit her, just a bit harder than a human, hoping to break her spirit. However, Shadow's stubbornness forced her to keep any sounds of pain swallowed and her defiant eyes prominent.

"I will break you at some point," Barricade laughed as he stepped on her outstretched chain, forcing her to fall to the ground. She had tried to pull the chain out of the ground, moving to where her chain was taunt as she pulled at it with all her might. Even though it was a pointless attempt, Shadow thought to try it anyways. Now she regrets that choice.

"Oh come now. You know Megatron's orders. I am to impregnate you as many times as I wish in order to breed a new army," Barricade grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her up on her knees, "And I will break your little fragging spirit. You are going to be my whore, do you hear me?"

Shadow grimaced as he brought a hand to her face, forcing her to stare up at him. She wanted to pull away but his grip on her hair forced her to stay put, face inches from his own. The smile on his lips made Shadow want to smack it off but she knew better. Last time didn't end to well.

"GET THE FUCK OFF HER!" that sudden scream had Shadow yelp in surprise as Barricade released her. She landed on the floor, lying flat as a sudden sound of shots rang out into the quiet. Until Barricade started screaming, throwing the only chair over her body. She continued to remain still as Alice was thrown past her, landing against the far wall as two holoforms came barging in. She could barely make out the figures as she felt her eyes sting with tears.

"Damn it! How did you find us?!"

"You were spotted by humans, you dumb fuck?"

The voice sounded all too familiar as she focused her eyes, staring at the blond before her. And it only made sense as the curses continued. He had found her.

"Well, you will not escape here with your life. I will end you!" Barricade charged after Ratchet, fist ready. But he didn't land a blow, taken aback by the fact that Ratchet had dodged him, sending a punch at him. The two continued the blows, Ratchet dodging every one. Barricade continued to try, even materializing a knife in order to try and stab Ratchet. Shadow continued to watch as the two finally locked arms, Ratchet having disarmed him by twisting the knife out of his hands.

"Shadow," she heard a harsh whisper as a hand reached around her neck, holding onto the bond around it. Her jump was stopped when she recognized the blue eyes of a rather surprising Autobot.

"Ironhide?" she questioned as he broke the bond barehanded, removing it from around her throat. Knowing she would be unable to walk out quickly, Ironhide picked her up and ran for the door. Shadow watched as Alice growled, jumping for them but Prime was there, grabbing the robotic hairs, ripping them out of her head. The metallic scream forced Shadow to cover her ears as Alice turned her attention on Prime, suddenly pushing him through the walls. It wasn't until she made it outside that she realized the fight had turned worse, watching as Barricade and Ratchet suddenly transformed to their full height.

"Ironhide?" again she called out to her carrier but Ironhide ignored her, immediately placing her inside his alt form. He continued to ignore the fighting as he suddenly disappeared, taking off down the road. Shadow banged on his glass, screaming for him to go back and save Ratchet.

"Woman, I swear to Primus! Ratchet is gonna kill Barricade. For crying out loud, get over it!"

"But he could die!"

"Shadow! Do you know how pissed off that medic is?! He will not stop until Barricade is nothing more than a pile of scrap metal!" Ironhide's voice forced her to stop banging on his window. She stared at the dash of Ironhide as she vaguely remembered the seatbelt surrounding her form, Ironhide telling her to relax. And it wasn't until they passed the barrier and a final cry was heard that she finally succumbed to her injuries and fainted.

~XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX~

In the background, a soft beeping was heard as she felt her body float back into the real world. She coughed out, her throat unusually dry and as she opened her eyes, couldn't the moan that escaped as she saw a glass of water held above her. Immediately she noticed the blue eyes staring at her and the messy blonde hair that stuck up in all different directions.

"Evening sleepy head," the soft voice made her choke on her tears and she cried, reaching out with her arms to him. She didn't care that her limbs screamed in agony. All she wanted was to hold the man who stared at her, knowing she was safe from harm. And he didn't hesitate, sitting on the hospital bed and helping her up. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her shoulders shake from the sobs that racked her injured body.

"Ratchet, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she cried. He shushed her immediately, whispering to her how it wasn't her fault. And it wasn't. No one knew a Decepticon had infiltrated their facilities. The area was supposed to be safe but with her kidnapping, it was known that they were far from keeping them safe. Far from keeping his love safe.

"It's alright, Shadow. It's okay," he kissed the side of her head, forcing the Doctor to look at him. She calmed her tears as Ratchet looked her over, seeing the bruises around her neck and on her arms. Her face shined with one to her cheek, forcing Ratchet to shiver from the anger than consumed him. He had saw how Barricade had treated her and in that moment, he just saw red. He ended up tearing Barricade apart, leaving the Decepticon alive but in pieces. It was a horrible form of torment and a terrible way to go as his form would slowly die from lose of necessary fluids. Which Ratchet didn't mind having on his processor. He could live with that choice.

Taking his hand, Ratchet slowly caressed her cheek, moving her hair out of the way so he could inspect the mark further. It surprised him how she was able to survive the attack, will only minor bruises. But his main concern now was to ensure she healed as he kissed the mark, trying to erase the pain.

Shadow took the comfort, allowing Ratchet to treat her in his own way. The feeling of safety was enough to make her lean into him as he continued to kiss every mark he saw, trying to ensure the injured skin felt something more than pain. Shadow's answer to his ministrations was the shiver that traveled up her spine. Ratchet chuckled as he looked at her, seeing the smile radiate in her eyes.

"I am so glad your back," he whispered, kissing her fully on the lips. Shadow wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back as hard as she could.

"Me, too," she whispered. She kept him close, feeling the beating of his spark through the holoform, listening to the comforting sound as she closed her eyes. She slowly buried the memories, realizing that she was safe and that being frightened was of no use. She was safe. She was home.

"SHADOW!" the scream forced the doctor to sigh as Ratchet looked up from her, seeing a red headed woman dash to the side of the bed.

"Ava," Shadow said calmly, grasping Ava's hands. She felt the unmistakable shaking of her best friend's hands and waited for her to finally speak. She continued to listen as the new mother expressed her worry, looking over her face. Shadow merely smiled, tears still glittering her eyes.

"I am safe now," she spoke again. Ava smiled, squeezing her hands.

"Forever, girl. Forever," Ava confirmed before looking at Ratchet, smirking as she walked away. Ratchet chuckled in response, watching as Ava disappeared, forcing Shadow to stare after her in a confused way.

"What just happened?" the confident voice threw Ratchet off kilter before chuckling, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Giving us some alone time," he whispered.

"For what?"

Silence stretched between them as Ratchet laughed again, slowly beginning the process of removing the IVs in her arms. Shadow looked at him as he just shrugged, watching as the machines around them started to shut down one by one. Shadow felt like the whole scene suddenly switched, unsure of how to react to it. That is until the last of the machines were removed from her and Ratchet leaned forward, kissing her again. That is when she knew. And the blush that crept up her cheeks was enough for Ratchet to push forwards, erasing the pain in the only way he knew how.

With love.

~XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX~

_Boti: Okay, hello again. Sorry but life just took over and I try to write at random times but I also have been sleeping like the dead for the past several days. Just so tired. But I got some time so I wrote this chapter. Seems a little rushed but it was sweet. I tried to make it a bit longer too so that may be why. But this isn't the end, yet. I think one or two more chapters, then this one is done!_

_Question to all, should I rewrite Prime's Princess? I feel like a revision is in order for that one since my writing has improved. What do you all think? Let me know in the reviews!_

_MISSED YOU ALL! HOPE YOU ENJOYED!  
>P.S. MAINTAIN THE GOLDEN RULE! NO FLAMES!<em>


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The group of holoforms and humans sat around the room before a roaring fireplace, laughing and joking about the several weeks that had passed the little base. Ratchet had been by Shadow's side for those weeks, never letting her out of his sight, let alone bedroom. He had taken to surprising her every now and then, even pulling her into a janitor's closet. Which Shadow didn't mind, she was beginning to enjoy the adventures.

She had caught up on what she missed, the soldier's telling her how happy they were that she was back. They explained that Ratchet was a frightening mech to contend with since she had gone and they thought he would kill everyone if she didn't return. But today, they were happy, the great scary medic calmly down immensely since her return. Even a peace had settled over the land, Decepticons having disappeared from the face of the planet.

"Serenity, I swear," Ava's voice made the doctor look over, seeing a sweet little girl, trying to take a present from under the tree. It was Christmas time and Ava had invited nearly everyone she loved into her home, wanting to celebrate the tradition. The change of pace and holiday seemed to give everyone some peace of mind, smiles and laughter filling the home. Little Sam had begun to sit around bigger Sam more often, laughing at the young man's antics.

Shadow's eyes softened at the two bundles. Ava had named her their godmother, saying she couldn't picture anyone else being able to defend her babies. Shadow would do practically anything for the two and Ratchet would guard the three with his own function cycle if necessary. Shadow was his world and so was the Princess and her children. They represented his people's life and in a way, their future.

"Shadow?"

She turned to her name, staring into the blue eyes of an amused blonde. He seemed to regard her for a moment before looking at the young toddlers. She saw his smirk as his eyes danced with mischief. She laughed at him before smacking his shoulder.

"Someday Ratchet but not now," she whispered to his unspoken inquiry. It seemed the medic was keen on bringing up the idea of kids. She could sense that the mech was wanting to be a father, almost desperately at times. She could also see the envy in some of the others as Prime and Ava sat together, the love oozing off them to everyone around.

"I know, sweetheart," Ratchet shifted his body, getting to a comfortable positon behind her. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist as Serenity began to get impatient, the presents too good to wait on. That was when everyone thought it was time to begin handing them out, the laughter erupting loudly when the little girl started prancing around the room. It was Ava who took the honor, wanting to see the smiles on every person's face as she handing out the paper covered boxes. Some of the Autobots had gifts as well, little upgrades to their systems to add later.

"Ironhide?"

The disbelief on the weapon's specialist had gotten Shadow's attention as he quickly ran out of the building, the giggling from the holoform causing her confusion. He had opened his box and practically froze when he saw the contents. She glanced at Ratchet as he whispered into her ear.

"Weapon's upgrade. Remote control missiles with a camera. He can now direct them where he wishes and see the aftermath."

Shadow smirked as she realized the specialist wouldn't miss the opportunity to try out his new gizmo. He sure did love his guns and loved to blow things up even more. Being able to guide them now and _see_ the carnage. That was one happy robot.

Optimus, in turn, loved his own upgrade that came from everybody. Shadow had started it, realizing the old bot loved keeping records of everything. He even wanted to know how Ava had lived on Earth, wanted to try and share in the moments of her life. So she created a "scrapbook" memory processor for him. Optimus could add more moments he wanted to save without overloading his systems. And it already had a few uploads, thanks to her and her friends.

Bee received his own new gift, new expensive stereo upgrade. He liked the display and knew it would look "hot" in him. Shadow choked on his choice of words and blushed when Ratchet made a perverted comment with the words toward her. She had to send a glare back as everyone continued to make comments and open presents. That was when Ratchet had moved, sitting next to her this time as a little girl with red brown hair approached her. She giggled at Shadow as she was lifted into her godmother's lap.

"Now what is it, Serenity?"

"Momma said to give you this," the girl held out her hands, a small box inbetween them. Shadow took the box from the little girl, curious as to what it was. She slowly removed the paper and opened it, tilting the small box over to dump the contents. What landed in her hand had her drop the box.

A ring had landed in her palm. It had a single stone that shone in the light of the fire, a black swirl mixed into the stone. The fire hit it, the light making the color look almost alive as she stared at it. Everyone else had seen her reaction, Ironhide coming back in at that moment with a smirk on his face. Prime was even focusing on her, a nod coming from the leaders head. All the Autobots knew what was happening.

A hand came into view, removing the ring from her palm and that's when she registered what was before her. Ratchet had gotten up from his position and was now kneeling before her, the ring between two fingers. His other hand gripped her left, the medic smiling gently at her as all eyes remained glued to them.

"Shadow," Ratchet squeezed her hand as he spoke, "you do not know what you mean to me. You are my very function cycle and I will do whatever it takes to ensure you always smile. Even if that means running around with a wrench in my hand, I will do it. So, Shadow Nigh, will you do me the greatest honor any mech could hope for by becoming my wife?"

The audible gasp from all the humans was enough to send her hand to her mouth, the shock turning to tears as she couldn't speak. Shadow could only nod as her hand now shone with the ring, a single kiss from Ratchet placed upon stone before he embraced her. Serenity slipped out of her godmother's lap to give her a moment, a sob escaping the young doctor's lips.

"Yay!" Ava clapped her hands, the others joining in to congratulate the couple. Shadow kept her face buried into his neck, unable to look at all her friends. Her family.

Ratchet held her close as the festivities continued, everyone taking their time to speak with the engaged couple. Ava had made sure to promise to have a fast ceremony, Ratchet not wanting to wait to become official.

"We still have to see if you can bond with her without any issues," she said. Ratchet merely chuckled, giving Shadow a smile before looking at Ava.

"I bonded with Ambre, Princess. The only reason I didn't pass was due to her wish that I cut the bond before she died. It was the most excrutiating thing I have ever done."

"I thought you couldn't, you know, unbond," Shadow brought up the question as Ratchet watched her. He seemed a little heistant to tell her, but he also didn't want to keep any secrets.

"You can in dire circumstances. And there is a risk that you will die from the experience. Ambre was dying. She knew she was going to be killed. So I risked the procedure, for her sake," Ratchet paused, looking broken, "and I promised I wouldn't kill myself either."

Shadow placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the confession down to her soul. Ratchet merely wrapped his fingers around her wrist, turning his head to kiss her palm as he whispered, "I'm glad I didn't die. I found my one true reason. My one true gift of life."

Ava smiled as she patted her friend's leg, giving a wink before she rejoined her husband. Shadow giggled when Ratchet refused to let go of her hand, regarding her with half closed eyes. She felt her heart pound in anticipation as she had the nerve to ask an all to familiar question.

"So, how do you bond with your…soulmate?"

His own chuckle sent a shiver down her spine as he leaned in, whispering in her ear so that she was the only one who heard his words. His breath tickled the sensitive skin, sending the warmth down to the tips of her toes.

"I can show you tonight, if you like."

"Never thought I would see the day," Ironhide's voice was heard as she finally looked over at him, her thoughts suddenly broken. Ratchet responded as well, looking up at the next person who decided to ruin his moment. Ironhide was standing before the two and he smiled, saluting her in a half hazard way before walking away, out the front door. He felt proud for his friends, all finding someone to love on their new planet. But he felt his own sorrow. His own pain and loneliness. He hoped maybe one day a woman or mech would arrive to capture his own spark and give himself meaning to life. But until then, he would be what he was best. A soldier.

~XXXXXXXXXX~

Boti: _So did you like? Did it make you all warm and gooey inside and make you want to smile? I hope it did. And guess what, their journey is done. That's right. _Defiance with Wrenches_ is completed. YAY! I am so proud of myself. It was amazing. And I did leave a little hint hint at what the next adventure for the crew would be. Hint Hint. Anyways, I really hoped you liked it. I didn't want to go into the third movie because I have plans for that one. I am completely disregarding the 4__th__ because I was disappointed in it for a few reasons. Good fun explosions and stuff but I was sad. I may do an adventure to it later but not right now. I was sad…_

_Love you all. Read my others and keep an eye out for a new one. I might take a hiatus and rewrite _Prime's Princess_ and make it better. You will see me around. Keep an eye out for goofy oneshots and new stories! YAY!_


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